Flowers for Mom
by lil'nomdeplume
Summary: Tony is trying to cope with life as a single parent of two children. Tenacious Ginny and "chip-off-the-old-block" H.A. are the focus of his life, and it's up to him to make it successfully through each day with them. But with mysterious messages sent to him seemingly from beyond the grave, Tony questions not only his sanity, but his ability to discern what the messages mean.
1. Chapter 1

**In feeling a bit melancholy lately about the unknown future of our dear Pepperony, I felt inspired to write this very AU little fic (since my creative flow has sadly only led me in this direction so far this week). It's only going to be a couple of chapters long. I may, in the future, connect it in some way to another part of a story I have in my "vault", but for now it will stand on its own. I hope you enjoy it.**

"Ouch, Daddy! You're pulling too hard!" the little seven year old girl standing at the bathroom counter in front of Tony, squealed. She was trying to stand still in her school-issued navy blue and forest green pleated skirt and white tank top undershirt, but it was getting to be more and more difficult as Tony worked the tangles out of her wavy strawberry blond hair. Her navy blue knee socks were still a tad too long, so they were rolled and cuffed at the tops of her calves, but were also pooled precariously around her ankles down to the tips of her toes. Virginia Maria Stark was every bit Tony and Pepper's daughter. She had Tony's moxie and genius intellect, and Pepper's temperament, along with her blue eyes, red hair, and porcelain skin.

Tony winced as he brushed his daughter's long wavy red hair. "I'm sorry, baby. You know I'm not trying to hurt you," he explained. Tony slowed down his brushing, and gathered Ginny's hair into his hand on that back of her head. He was wearing a pink elastic band on his right wrist for when he was ready to fasten her hair into a ponytail. And with all of the practice he'd had for the last several months, he was getting pretty good at it. At least, his work _now _was a vast improvement over what her hair looked like on the first day of school. _Just more proof I'll tackle this Mr. Mom thing yet, _he thought proudly. _No sweat. Pepper would be proud right now._

Tony twisted the elastic band around his daughter's hair and tightened it. "There!" he said, smiling proudly at his work. She spun around and grinned at him, her crystal blue eyes sparkling.

"How'd I do, madam?" he said formally, handing her a hand mirror with which to look at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Tony picked her up and sat the little girl on the counter. She proceeded to scrutinize her father's work, frowning and cocking an eyebrow that mimicked his trade mark expression.

"It'll do," she replied resolutely, handing the mirror back to her father.

Tony scoffed. " '_It'll do_', she says," he muttered. "That's a thing of beauty, right there. A work of art, I'll have you know. Psssh, 'it'll do'. You sound just like your mother," he pretended to gripe, though he couldn't help but smile.

"Then that should make you happy, right, Daddy?" his daughter asked inquisitively.

Tony smiled warmly at his daughter and looked into her eyes lovingly. "You bet it does," he said softly.

Ginny smiled back at him sweetly, and Tony planted a soft lingering kiss on his child's forehead, closing his eyes for a moment to calm the emotional twinge in his heart at how much she really _was _like her mother, and how much it made him miss Pepper. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked back at his daughter. "Love you, little bug," he murmured sweetly.

The little girl smiled. "Love you too, Daddy," she replied.

Tony exhaled. "Okay, Ms. Thing, it's time for school. You got your book report?"

"Check," she said.

"Got your math homework? _And _the extra-credit worksheets your teacher gave you?"

"Check and check," she said again.

"Good," Tony said. "Ask her for harder ones today, because..."

"These ones were too easy for me. I _know, _Daddy," Ginny said, rolling her eyes at her father repeating this to her yet again.

Tony smiled. "I _know _you know," he said. "But if you get enough of these done, and in record time like you have been, I can go to the Principal and ask him to let you test out of your grade, like your brother did."

"Yay!" Ginny exclaimed, as Tony lifted her off the counter and set her down. She ran out of the bathroom and over to her bed where she picked up a white buttoned-down shirt Tony had laid out for her, and started to slip it on. "Okay, little lady. You have T-minus..." Tony said, looking at his watch. "Ten minutes before the Stark School Shuttle launches."

Ginny nodded in understanding as she hurriedly slipped on her shirt and navy blue blazer with the school's crest on the breast pocket. Tony was leaving her bedroom as she collapsed to her knees to look for her black and white saddle shoes under her bed.

Tony walked down the hall to his son's room and knocked on the door. "H.A.?" he asked. "You about ready to go?"

Tony listened for a moment to detect any form of response from beyond the closed door. There was nothing. Tony frowned and grabbed the door knob, shoving the door open to find his son still sleeping under a pile of unruly bed linens.

"_Jesus H_...," Tony said in a dumbstruck whisper as he looked around. His son's room was a complete hovel, _again, _and it was like walking across a mine field to reach his bed. But eventually Tony made to the edge of the bed, and yanked back the covers. "Howard Anthony Stark!" he shouted. "What in _everything holy _are you still doing in bed?!"

"Yahhhhh! I'm up, I'm up!" his son cried out, jolting out of bed and raising his hands in surrender. He was a tall, lanky boy of 10, with a thick shock of unruly dark hair and ocean blue eyes. His olive complexion was the only real give away of his father's Italian decent, and a trait his little sister was fiercely jealous of.

Tony's eyes were fiery with annoyance. "We leave in _10 minutes!_ You'd better get yourself downstairs, fully dressed, and ready to go, in _nine!_" he commanded.

"Yeah! Okay, dad! I will! Calm down!" H.A assured.

Tony shook his head in disbelief. "Boy! I _know _you did not just tell me to calm down!" he warned. "Your butt! Downstairs! Nine minutes!" Tony spat out, jabbing a finger at his son. He spun around and kicked a pile of clothes out of his way to clear a path to the door, storming out of the bedroom.

"Sheesh, what's _his _problem," H.A muttered under his breath.

"I heard that!" Tony called out from the hallway.

H.A startled, his eyes wide in disbelief at his father's seemingly supernatural perception as he fumbled around trying to find a clean school uniform off his bedroom floor.

**XxXxXxXxXx**

"Lunches, troops. Here you go," Tony said, handing the brown bags to each respective child as they walked past him and out the front door. He stopped his son, and surveyed the boy skeptically, secretly hiding a fondness for his son's inherent ability to roll out of bed, with perfectly unkempt hair, and look like the cover of a magazine. _Chip off the old block, _Tony thought proudly. "Nice of you to find it within your abilities to make it this morning," Tony quipped, shoving the lunch bag into his son's chest, and cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Dad, come _on,_" his son smirked back. "I _had_ this. I don't know _what_ you were worried about."

"Uh-_huh_," Tony said, skeptically. "May I remind you that it was _I _who woke you up? That if it wasn't for _me, _you'd still be sawing logs upstairs?"

"Well, I..." his son stammered.

"Yeah, yeah, smart guy, let's go," Tony said, shaking his head and smirking behind his son's back as he followed both of his children outside and into the drive way. The kids climbed into the back seat of Pepper's Audi S7, and Tony closed the door. He slipped on some RayBan aviators, and slid into the driver's seat, glancing in the rear view once more at the two faces looking back at him before pulling out of the driveway.

**XxXxXxXxXx**

A half an hour later, Tony pulled into the student drop-off lane in front of the Gilcrist Academy, the private school that both of his children attended in Malibu. "Okay, urchins. I believe this is your stop," he said. He got out of the car, and walked around to the right side of the car. He opened the back door ceremoniously. "Ms. _Stark_," Tony said, bowing to his daughter formally, which made his little girl giggle. He chuckled at the sound of her laughter.

"Daddy, you're so silly," Ginny said, throwing her arms around her father's neck.

He hugged her tight. "Have a good day, princess," he murmured in her ear, kissing her temple.

"I will," she said happily.

Next, his son climbed out, and met his father's gaze.

"And _you,_" Tony said, jabbing a finger at his son, and giving him a stern look. But then he softened and smiled at his boy. "I love you, you know that, right?"

H.A smiled, and looked away bashfully. "Yeah, I know," he admitted.

Tony patted his son on the shoulder and nodded. "So, guys, you remember what we're doing today after school, right?"

"Visiting mommy!" Ginny said excitedly.

"That's right," Tony said, glancing at his daughter. "And I'll be right here to pick you up as always," he reminded them.

"Okay, dad," H.A said.

"Okay," Tony said, nodding at his son. "Now you both know our motto."

"Make you proud. Make mom proud," they both said in unison.

"You got it," Tony said. "Now go have a great day, you two." He nodded and dismissed them.

"Bye, daddy," Ginny said, waving a goodbye as she turned to go.

"Bye, baby," Tony said, winking at her as she walked with her brother into the school's entrance.

Tony watched them until they disappeared inside the building, and then sighed. He walked around the car and slid back into the driver's seat. The hustle and bustle of the morning had kept him mostly distracted from the significance of the day. But now, in the silence of the car, the familiar gray cloud of lonely hurt descended over the top of his head, and he bit his lip, his brow in a deep furrow as he tried not to allow his emotions to well over as he exited the busy school parking area. Despite his best efforts, though, his breath caught in his chest, and his chin quivered just slightly. Tony frowned hard and blinked, desperately trying to hold it together. He rested an elbow on the window sill, and brought the back of his left hand to his mouth, taking deep breaths in and out to steady his aching heart.

"God, _why_ is this still so hard?" he whispered to himself as he drove home, the wound of all of the past hurt and loss feeling as fresh as the day it happened. _Because you miss her more than ever, _his subconscious answered back.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony had come home once again to his now empty house, and headed straight for the shop. Distraction would be the name of the game today, he decided. "Just like it always is on this day," he murmured to himself. So he opened the files on some pet projects he'd been fiddling around with for quite some time, and began to tinker.

Later, that morning, his phone rang while he had his welding helmet on. He cut the gas to his torch and lifted the visor to read who it was. It was Rhodey. Tony took off his helmet and his gloves, and answered.

"Hey, buddy. How you holding up?" his best friend said on the other end.

"Oh, you know," Tony said. "Just trying to stay busy."  
"Right," Rhodey said. "You _know _this isn't an anniversary I like to call on. But for the sake of my god-children..."

"Sure," Tony said. "And we appreciate it."

"Kids doing okay, today? Anything I need to do?" Rhodey asked.

Tony shook his head. "No, man. This morning was like any other morning. Busy and chaotic. I mean, these are _my _kids I'm talking about. Everything they _do _is busy and chaotic," Tony joked. Both men laughed. "But we'll head up there after they get out of school. Like always. Which reminds me," Tony said. "I've gotta go get the flowers before I pick up the kids."  
"Roses?" Rhodey asked.

"You know it," Tony said.

"Well," Rhodey said. "I just wanted to check in on you guys before I head to the base. I can't believe it's been as long as it has since all of that happened."

"Me, neither," Tony said. "And days like today make it feel like it's happening all over again."  
"I'm sure it does, buddy. I'm sure it does," Rhodey agreed. "Hey, you guys wanna get together this weekend? It's supposed to be nice. I'm barbecuing."

Tony smiled, the lonely chill of the day being warmed by his friend's generous offering of hospitality. "Sure. We'll be there, man. Thanks," Tony replied.

"Any time," Rhodey said. "I'll let you go. Talk to you later, man."

"Okay, Rhodey. And thanks again," Tony said, disconnecting. Tony smiled to himself, and sighed. "He takes good care of us," he remarked to himself fondly. And he meant it. Rhodey had done everything he could in the last few years to help Tony keep it together and be able to march forward. Without his help, he wasn't sure could have carried on. The man was a saint, in Tony's book, and he was extremely grateful to have him as a friend.

**XxXxXxXxXx**

The overcast skies of the morning had burned off midday, and the rest of the afternoon had been bright and sunny. Tony stood outside of the car, and was leaning against the driver's side with his arms folded, waiting for his kids to get out of school. The buses had all pulled up in front of the building, and, slowly, students began to trail out. Soon, he spotted H.A and Ginny walking outside together, and he smiled warmly when he caught their eye. He opened his arms wide as the children ran across the school crossing. "Daddy!" Ginny squealed, as she smashed into her father's arms, hugging him around his middle.

Tony squeezed her back. "_There's _my girl," he said, picking her up and holding her tight.

"I made mommy a new picture!" the little girl exclaimed.

"You did? _Awesome_," Tony replied, smiling lovingly at his daughter. "I can't wait to see this one."

"You know you have to wait," Ginny said. "I have to give it to mommy first."

Tony smiled gently. "Of course, sweet pea." He set her down and opened the back door. Both kids climbed in the back seat and Tony climbed in behind the wheel, and pulled out into traffic.

"So? Spill it. Did this ridiculously expensive school manage to teach you anything new today?" he teased.

"In robotics, we're going to start building our prototypes for our end of the year projects," H.A replied.

"Great!" Tony cried. "Got any idea on what you want to build?"

H.A shrugged. "I don't know. I have some ideas. I thought...you could help? And we could do it together?" he asked, hopefully.

Tony smirked. "You mean you actually _want _me to help you?" he asked. "I thought you were too cool to ask for your old man's help."  
H.A shrugged again. "Not on this," he admitted.

"Oh, _okay,_" Tony teased. "Every _other _time, but _this_ time, I suppose?"

His son chuckled sheepishly. "Something like that, dad."

"Uh-huh, I read ya'. You're only using me for my brain. I see. Love me and leave me. Like all the others," Tony joked.

Ginny giggled at her brother and father's banter. Tony's eyes shifted from his son to his daughter in the rear view, and he winked at her before grinning.

"Did you get the flowers?" Ginny asked.

"I did, honey. Five roses. Just like always," Tony replied.

Ginny smiled with great satisfaction and settled in contentedly as she watched the cars go by outside her window.

Some time later, they pulled off of Highway 101 into a hilly community with tree lined streets. The children had been chattering in the backseat for the last few minutes, but suddenly the car was filled with a reverent silence as they watched the houses go by. They climbed the many hills, heading up and away from the hum of the highway towards their destination. Once they crested the last hill, Tony parked along the curb, grabbed the bundle of five, red, long-stemmed roses in green florist's paper, and quietly opened his door. He exited the vehicle, and opened the back door for his children to climb out. Ginny grabbed her dad's hand and stood by his side quietly as H.A climbed out. Tony shut the door behind his son and nodded at him. H.A nodded firmly back.

"Ready, guys?" Tony asked.  
"Ready!" Ginny exclaimed, her innocent enthusiasm briefly lifting her father and brother's spirits. They smiled knowingly, in amusement, at each other.

Tony exhaled sharply. "Let's do this," he said.

They walked around the vehicle, and up onto the curb to pass onto the grassy area they had to cross.

"Place looks nice," Tony commented.

"As nice as it _can _look, I guess," H.A replied drolly.

"True," Tony said.

"Look at all the pretty flowers!" Ginny cried. "Aren't they pretty, daddy?"

Again, his daughter's innocent observations warmed his heart. "They _are _pretty, Ginny. _Very _pretty," he answered her. He wished he could be as upbeat as she was right now, but it was a comfort to know she wasn't feeling the kind of pain he felt. Ginny, being as young as she was, hadn't had to experience what he and H.A had. And, in a way, he was grateful. Her memories were happy ones, and, to him, that's all that mattered.

They crossed over the lawn and made their way up the hill. A groundskeeper, noticing their presence, gave a respectful nod to Tony and his brood. Tony nodded politely back.

Soon, they came upon it- a small, white, marble building standing tall at the top of the hill, though, comparatively, it was the largest of this type of building of the others standing next to it. It was quite elegant, as these things go, and Tony was always a little proud to see the name _Stark _on the front of it, in chiseled block lettering. Plus, he knew she was safe there, at last. No more evil. No more strife. No more pain. Forever, she would lie in wait, until someday he'd join her, and they'd be reunited once more.

They came to the entrance and Tony first walked inside, with Ginny's hand in his, and her trailing behind. The bright white, motion-sensored lights flickered to life and shown down from the tall ceiling above, and their eyes adjusted from the daylight outside. Their footsteps echoed on the shiny white marble floors in soft shuffles as Tony led the way to the middle of the wall of crypts where Pepper lay.

They all came to a standstill in front of the marker reading:

_Virginia "Pepper" Marie Potts Stark_

Tony turned around briefly to spot a bench to sit on, made of the same marble as the rest of the mausoleum was made. He sat down, and pulled Ginny into his lap. H.A sat down solemnly next to his father, and Tony wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders. They sat quietly for a few moments, letting the stillness seep into their bones.

Ginny rested her head on her father's cheek. "Can I give her my picture, now, Daddy?" she asked softly, after a few moments.

Tony raised his head and smiled. "Of course, baby," he said.

Ginny hopped off his lap, and walked over to Pepper's crypt. A little metal clip with a magnet on the back had been put there a number of years ago by Tony, when Ginny was first drawing pictures and wanted to leave one here. The picture Ginny had made last year was still there, though it was a little worn and faded. It was a drawing of a day they'd spent on the beach. Pictures of sand castles and the three of them swimming in the ocean were the subject of last year's artwork.

Tony watched as his daughter took down the old picture and handed it to her father. He graciously took it, making a note to file it away in the "Pepper's pictures" file with the rest of them, as soon as they got home. Then Ginny reached into her school jacket pocket and pulled out a crudely folded piece of white paper. Tony watched as she carefully unfolded it and pressed out the creases before she put up the new picture, her little fingers working the clip and then letting it close with a _snap_ to secure the paper.

"What's that one of, sweetie?" Tony asked.

"It's a picture of me, and you, and H.A," she said. "We're at our house."  
Tony examined the drawing. Three stick figures, one small one with a skirt on, and long red hair, another taller one with thick, short black hair, and an even taller one with the same thick, short, black hair were standing next to a house with lots of squares stacked in a staggered pattern, representing the many levels of their home, with a round platform out to the side that Tony could only imagine was the circular driveway. There were clouds in the sky and a bright yellow sun in the corner, and on the right hand side was another stick figure, this time in a dress, with long flowing red hair, and a pair of wings, standing on a cloud. It was smiling, and a dialogue balloon was coming from its mouth with the words, "Hello! I love you!" written inside it.

"I see," Tony said. "And who's _that_, in the clouds?" he asked, inquisitively.

"That's mommy," Ginny said, pointing to the place on her picture. "She's saying hello to us. And she's smiling because she's happy."

"Oh, okay," Tony said, nodding. He smiled, and he bit his bottom lip, trying to keep the tears welling up in his eyes from showing. But his daughter frowned.

"What's wrong, daddy?" she asked. "You don't like it?"

Tony reached for his daughter and pulled her into his arms. "No no! I _love _it, baby. I think it's the best one yet."  
"Do you think Mommy likes it?" Ginny asked softly.

"Honey, she _loves _it," he said, his voice breaking. "I just know it," he whispered. He held his daughter close for a few moments, the tears running down his cheeks. H.A rested his head on his dad's shoulder, and kept his eyes on his mother's name in front of him.

The family sat in silence for several minutes again. H.A's eyes flicked from crypt to crypt, reading the names of lost relatives prior to his mother. The bodies were still in New York, at a separate mausoleum from generations ago when the Stark's had immigrated to the U.S. But markers had been placed on the empty crypts as reminders of the loved ones that had passed before them.

H.A flicked his eyes once more just past his mother's crypt to the right, where his gaze came to rest on the placard marking it. It read:

_Anthony Edward Stark_

"Dad?" he asked, a realization suddenly coming to him.

"Yeah, son?" Tony said.

"Did _mom's _spot used to be... _your _spot?" H.A asked cautiously.

Tony nodded. "Yep," he said. "I never thought I'd outlive her, so...I figured I'd be _there_, where _she _is, because I'd be the next in succession to pass away, and she'd someday come after me. But, obviously, it didn't...um..." Tony said, his voice cracking again. He took a moment to steady himself and then continued. "It didn't work out...that way," he said softly. "So, I had to shove over, you know," he said, smiling weakly.

"Oh," H.A said. He fell quiet for several moments. "I miss 'er," he said finally.

"Me, too," Ginny said sadly.

H.A scoffed. "You were too little to remember her, Ginny. How can _you_ miss her?" he said.

"I remember her! I do! Stop it, H.A. I can miss her, too. Just like you can!" Ginny argued defensively.

"Alright, you two. That's enough," Tony warned. He turned toward his son. "H.A., do me favor and just humor her, okay?" he asked. He then turned to look at his daughter. "Ginny, honey? What do you miss most about your mom?" he asked his daughter.  
"I miss her smell," Ginny said. "She had a good mommy smell. When she'd tuck me in at night? I remember the smell of her hair. And her perfume."

Tony smiled sadly. "I guess I miss that, too," he said wistfully. He adjusted Ginny on his lap, and she rested her head on his shoulder again. Tony remembered how fond he was of the smell of Pepper's perfume all those years ago, when she was his assistant. Soft wisps of it would drift through the air, teasing his senses and making his heart ache for the next moment she'd be around. It made for many lonely nights for him for a long time, until they finally had become a couple and he was at liberty to bury his nose in her hair to allow her unique scent to lull him to sleep. Long ago, Pepper's pillowcase had lost the smell he'd grown so fond of. He remembered that night. The feeling of yet another piece of her slipping away, and leaving him far behind reduced him to a shivering pile of grief and despair, clutching that pillow in desperation, in the darkness.

"I miss her smile," H.A said. "No matter what was going on. Or what I _did_. In the end, she'd always smile. And I'd know it was going to be okay."

"I know exactly what you're talking about, son," Tony replied, smirking fondly. "And I could use an 'it's all okay' smile from her some days, even now. I'd carry it around in my pocket, if I could."

Both children nodded in agreement, and chuckled softly. Tony re-wrapped his arms around his daughter and held her close. They all quietly reminisced for a few moments more, recalling, in their minds, fond family memories and missing Pepper's presence more than anything.

"Well," Tony said finally, exhaling as he looked at each of his children. "Shall we?"

"Me, first!" Ginny exclaimed. She slid off of Tony's lap and walked to the little bundle of roses he'd brought in. He watched as his daughter gingerly grabbed one of the roses and walked to the door of her mother's crypt where a little silver,cone shaped vase had been fastened for small tokens of memorial to the deceased. Ginny stood on her tippy toes, carefully placing her rose in the vase. Tony smiled, as he was amazed that she could reach it this year, remembering that last year he had to lift her up to do it.

"I love you, momma," Ginny said sweetly. She stepped backwards to her dad's side. Tony grasped her hand and squeezed it tight, lovingly.

"Me, next, I guess," H.A. said. He grabbed a rose and walked to the vase. "Miss you, mom," he murmured, as he put his rose next to his sister's. "Love you." He patted the name placard baring his mother's name, and then turned to walk back over to Tony. H.A shoved his hands in his pockets as Tony wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders, and squeezed him in an embrace.

Tony took a deep breath. "Okay. I guess it falls to me," he murmured. He grabbed the last few roses, and slowly walked to crypt. He stood there, silent, for several moments.

"Uh, Ginny, why don't we, uh, go look at the flowers outside?" H.A offered. "Is that okay, dad?" he asked.

"What?" Tony said, turning to look over his shoulder. "Oh. Yeah, H.A. That's fine. Just stay close. I won't be long."

H.A nodded knowingly. He grasped his sister's hand and led her out the door and back into the sunlight. "Goodbye, momma!" Ginny called out, as they left. "See you next time!"

Tony watched them leave, Ginny's words causing a lump to form in his throat. He turned back around, and stayed silent for a few moments, staring at the roses in his hands. Then he shifted his gaze upwards again, laying his eyes on the placard baring his wife's name. "Hey, gorgeous," he said, fiddling with the roses he held between his thumbs and forefingers. He smiled weakly, imagining Pepper saying, "_Hello, yourself,_" right back at him, the way she used to do. He looked away and then back again. He stepped forward to lay a hand on her name. He ran his hand over the raised lettering of the metal placard, and furrowed his brow. "It's been a few years now, hasn't it, Pep?" he murmured. "Yet, every year, here I am. Feeling just as raw, and..._alone_ as ever." He worked his jaw in thought for a moment before speaking again. He sniffed and looked away again before bringing his eyes back to center. He smiled. "If it wasn't for the kids, I'd..." he said, trailing off. "I'd be in this place, _too_, I suppose. But they _need_ me. And, you probably won't believe me, but I...I need _them, _too." Tony smiled, his eyes glassing over with fresh tears. He chuckled to himself, and backed up to be able to sit down again on the bench. "God, they're great kids, you know? H.A, he's...he's just like me," Tony said, chuckling. " 'Great', you're probably saying. 'Look out, world, there's another one of them now'," he joked, chuckling. "But, _wow_, is he so much better than I am! On so many levels, Pep. You'd be amazed. He builds stuff, faster, and...and _better_ than I ever did at his age! He's _going places, _that one. Oh, you'd throw a fit if you saw his room, and roll your eyes at what a charmer he is, but _man, _honey! We've got one _amazing_ son," Tony admitted. He smiled with great satisfaction, and nodded his head.

"And Ginny? She's going to test out of her grade any day now. _Easily. _I couldn't be more proud of her. _That, _and she's _you _all over again," he said, smiling. "Same smile. Same expressions. Same personality. It's amazing! But you know what? Some days, it's so hard to look her in the eye. It's like looking at _you, _baby. It's almost _frightening_, if I'm being honest. Because it's like, it's like..." Tony stammered. He stood up and walked back over to where Pepper lay. He shook his head, trying to find the right words. "I'm suddenly standing in front of you again, and you're looking at me, with those crystal clear blue eyes, and..." Tony said, his voice faltering. His breath caught in his chest, and quiet sob escaped his throat. "It's as if I've suddenly awakened from some terrible nightmare, and your alive. And everything is okay,again, you know? I have you back, and everything is okay. Pepper, I..." Tony said, his voice warbling. He swallowed hard, the tears now spilling down his cheeks. He crouched down, bringing his fist to his lips, as he squeezed his eyes shut, the sound of his heartbeat pounding achingly in his ears. "I miss you _so _much," he whispered.

"Daddy?" Tony suddenly heard his daughter's voice say. Tony turned to look over his shoulder, to find his daughter standing in the doorway again, looking at him with trepidation. H.A was just behind her, looking at his father apologetically.

"Sorry, dad. I tried to keep her busy," he explained.

"It's alright, buddy," Tony said, smiling gently. "Come here, honey," he said, opening his arms wide. His daughter ran to him and fell into his arms, and Tony wrapped her up tight in his embrace.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, baby, I'm okay," he assured. "Just talking to mommy, that's all."  
"Did you have a nice visit?" she asked.

Tony chuckled. "I _did, _sweetheart. Thank you for asking. I was just telling mommy how proud I am of you," Tony said, beaming. He stood up. By then, H.A had followed his sister back over to where Tony was, and Tony pulled him into his embrace as well. "How proud I am of _both _of you," he said. He kissed the top of his son's head, and squeezed his shoulders lovingly.

"Can I give grandma her rose now?" Ginny asked, looking up at her father.

"Of course. Here you go," he said, handing one of the roses in his hand for his daughter to put in the vase beside his mother's placard. This part of their tradition had started the year after Pepper died. H.A had asked why they hadn't brought flowers for his grandparents as well as his mother. With them not actually lying in this particular mausoleum, it hadn't occurred to Tony before then to bring flowers for them. But that next year, they brought three roses for Pepper, one from each of them, and one for the kids to give to each grandparent in remembrance. He had always thought it was a nice gesture to his parents, as he was sure they would have loved to have known their grandchildren. Especially his mother, Maria. Tony was the apple of his mother's eye before she died. So he just knew she would have been a very loving, very doting grandmother.

Ginny walked over to where her grandmother's name was and stood on her tip toes, as she had at Pepper's crypt, to put her single red rose in the silver vase that matched the one by Pepper's name. "There you go, Grandma Maria," she said.

Tony handed H.A a rose, and the boy did the same for his Grandpa Howard. Tony smiled proudly at his son when he walked back over to join his sister and his father.

Tony still held one last rose. He broke away from his children and went to stand back in front of Pepper. "A rose for my rose," he said sweetly, gently placing the rose in the vase amongst the two his children had given her. "Goodbye, my love. Until next time," he murmured lovingly. He leaned forward, and placed a gentle kiss on Pepper's name. He patted it lovingly and then stepped back to stand with his kids.

"Love you guys," he said, giving his kids an affectionate squeeze. He sighed, swiping at the last of the tears on his cheeks. "Okay, ready to go?" he asked, smiling at them warmly. Both children nodded. "What do you guys _say,_" he said. "To a little...Boardwalk Pizza?" he asked, knowing they'd never turn down a chance to eat at their favorite restaurant.

"Yay!" Ginny exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. Tony and H.A chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Okay!" Tony said. "I knew _that _would get a reaction. Let's go!" he teased. The family headed for the doorway to go back outside. The kids walked, hand in hand, ahead of Tony. They stepped outside, but Tony turned back for just a moment before joining them. "I love you, Pepper," he said. "Mom, Dad? Take care of her for me, huh?" he asked. He smiled and nodded, and then stepped through the doorway and back out into the sunshine to join his children on their way back to the car.


	3. Chapter 3

**I just wanted to tell everybody thank you for reviewing and for leaving such lovely comments! I know a few of you had some concerns, but rest assured, this one isn't associated with any of my other fics I'm working on right now. And I know I said it would only be a few chapters, but I've got a better idea now of where I want this to go, thought I don't yet know the length to which that will extend. So, I'll will upload as often as possible, just like my others. I've just had this one rolling around in my brain for a while, and I needed to get it out and onto the page. So, I hope you continue to enjoy it. There is plenty more to come on this one, as well as all of my others! Thank you again for your continued support! It means the world! :)**

_Tony awoke to find he was alone in their bed again. He rubbed his eyes, and threw back the covers. Pepper had been dealing with H.A being sick for the past few days with a bad bout of the flu, and the nights had been especially difficult. She had been up every couple of hours each night, taking his temperature and making sure he was as comfortable as possible. And it was starting to wear on her. He'd noticed the bags under her eyes, and had offered to take over. For a time she would let him, but only as a temporary relief in order to get a little sleep. Then she'd be right back at it again, and Tony would watch as she attended to their son while still on the brink of exhaustion. He knew she knew he could handle taking care of H.A while she was at work. But Pepper, being the over-protective mom she had always been, insisted on taking a few days off from work to stay home anyway._

_This night, he found her watching over H.A from his bedroom doorway. The boy was resting, finally, after Pepper had successfully brought down a high fever, but his breathing was wheezy and his body was racked with a hacking cough every few minutes from the lingering congestion in his chest, which made Pepper frown with worry._

_Tony quietly stepped up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. She startled slightly and then smiled warmly, resting her head back on his shoulder. "You can't stand here all night, Pep," Tony murmured, kissing the top of her shoulder. "YOU have to sleep, too."_

_Pepper nodded. "I know," she said. "I just hate the way that cough sounds."_

_"I know, baby," Tony said. "But he took the stuff the doctor gave you just before he went to bed, right?"_

_Pepper nodded._

_"And it's only been about an hour. That stuff has a six hour dose. You gotta give it time to kick in," Tony reminded her._

_"I know," Pepper said. "I just want to make sure he's okay until that happens."_

_"Pepper, he's fine," Tony said. "It sounds a lot worse than it is. Even the doctor said so."  
"I'm just being a mom, Tony. I can't help it if I worry about him," Pepper defended._

_"I know, Pep. But you've gotta relax. He's getting better. At least he's sleeping, now. And the nausea is gone. The fever finally broke, so come back to bed, honey. Okay?" Tony reasoned._

_Pepper turned around and looked at Tony, finally smiling as she relented. "Okay," she said, nodding. "You're right. He's getting better. I just..."she said, suddenly stopping and frowning. She put her finger tips to her forehead and winced, inhaling sharply through her teeth. "Ow," she moaned._

_Tony frowned. "Pepper?" he asked. "You okay?"_

_Pepper waved him away. "Yeah, it's nothing. It's just..." she said. She squeezed her eyes shut and winced again. "God, these headaches! The last few days they've come on like a freight train."  
"Headaches?" Tony asked, watching his wife with alarm. "What headaches? Pepper talk to me! What's going on?"_

_"I need...I need to lie down," she said, her voice weak. Tony nodded and started to lead her back to the bedroom, but he was stopped as she suddenly sank to the floor. He followed, his eyes wide with growing panic._

_"Pep? What's going on? Do we need to call an ambulance?!" he asked._

_Pepper shook her head, but tears started to run down her cheeks as she began to weep. "Ow!" she whimpered. "My head! It hurts!"_

_Tony cupped her face in his hands and looking into her eyes desperately. "Pepper, tell me what to do, baby," he pleaded._

_Pepper looked at him, her eyes squinted. "My vision is blurry," she replied. "It's hard to see you."_

_"I'm right here, honey. Just keep talking to me,Pep!" Tony begged. Just then, Pepper's eyes went wide and look of terror crept over her face. Tony watched in horror as Pepper began to convulse, her body going rigid as Tony laid her down flat on the floor. He was on his hands and knees, now, over the top of her, watching her helplessly as her body shook and spasmed with tremors. "Pepper?!" he called to her desperately. "JARVIS! AMBULANCE! NOW!" he barked toward the ceiling. "Pepper, baby, stay with me! Okay! I've got you, honey."  
Pepper eyes were fixed on his, but she couldn't speak, her body gripped with this sudden seizure, powerless in its grasp._

_"An ambulance has been called, Sir. Approximate arrival in ten minutes," Tony heard JARVIS report a few moments later._

_"Scan, J!" Tony barked back. "What the hell is happening to her?!"  
Tony watched as a green, holographic ray suddenly shone down from the ceiling and moved over Pepper's body. "A hemorrhage has developed in Mrs. Stark's brain," the AI reported after a few moments. "Emergency surgery is required, or she WILL NOT survive, sir."  
"No, no, that's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna lose her," Tony said, shaking his head in denial. He cupped Pepper's cheek, and stroked it with his thumb. "Don't worry, Pep! It'll be okay! It'll be..."  
Just then, H.A appeared in the doorway of his bedroom, his eyes wide. "Mom?!" he said, in a panic. He looked at his dad. "Wh-what's happening to her, Dad?!"  
Tony grabbed his son and pulled him into his arms, turning his boy's head away from the spectacle of his mother's body convulsing on the floor. "Come here, and stay calm, son. She'll be okay," Tony assured._

_"Dad? Why is she like this? What's happening?" the boy pleaded in a panic, raising his head again and turning his eyes back to Pepper._

_"H.A, looked at me," Tony demanded. H.A fought to tear his eyes away from his mother to look at his dad. "I need you to listen to me, okay? The ambulance is coming. Go unlock the front door and wait for them there, okay? Can you do that, son?" Tony pleaded._

_"But, dad, tell JARVIS to..." the boy argued.  
Tony shook his head. "No, H.A. I need YOU to do it, okay? Please," Tony said. The boy frowned, and then nodded in agreement. He scrambled to get off the floor and run downstairs to do what his father asked, and Tony turned his attention back to his wife. "I'm here, baby, I'm here," he assured, grasping Pepper's hand in both of his. The tremors had stopped, and Pepper's body had begun to relax. But her eyes were closed now, and her chest heaved._

_"Shhhhh," Tony said softly into her ear, stroking her cheek. "That's it, honey. Just hold on. I've got you." Tony kissed her temple, and Pepper's breath slowed back down to a normal rate. "That's it," he reassured._

_"Dad! They're here!" Tony heard H.A call from downstairs a few moments later. Tony scooped up his wife's body, and made his way downstairs, her head lolling limply against his shoulder. The EMT's entered with a gurney, and Tony met them at the foot of the stairs, gently laying Pepper's body down onto it. Time seemed to be going in slow motion as he stepped back, releasing her to them and watching as they put on the oxygen mask, and strapped her onto the bed. One of them was trying to ask Tony questions to confirm the details that JARVIS had given them in the emergency call, and all he could do was numbly nod in reply, the adrenaline wearing off and exposing his heart to the heavy pain of not knowing if she would survive taking its place. H.A ran to his father's side and threw his arms around his middle, hugging him tightly and burying his face in Tony's t-shirt to hide his tears. Tony wrapped his arms protectively around his son as he gritted his teeth and set his jaw, desperately trying to keep his composure and stay strong as they watched Pepper get wheeled away out the front door and put into the ambulance._

**XxXxXxXxXx**

Tony awoke with a start and jolted upright in bed. His brow was damp with sweat, and he ran a shaky hand through his hair. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, but he couldn't steady himself, and his shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as he sobbed. He grabbed the pillow, _Pepper's_ pillow, next to him and buried his face in it, trying to muffle the sound of his anguished cries so that his children wouldn't hear him sob from their bedrooms.

After a few moments, he raised his head and swiped bitterly at his tears. "Oh, God!" he whispered into the darkness. She shook his head in disbelief at how fresh the pain still was. "I need you, Pepper. I miss you _so _much," he gasped. He inhaled deeply and blew it out sharply, blinking back the rest of his tears. "I can't do this," he said, speaking out loud in a murmur. He shook his head. "I've tried. But I can't do it, Pep. It's too hard." He scrubbed his hands over his face and slung the pillow in his lap back to its place beside him. He threw back the blankets and turned to set his feet on the floor beside the bed. He sat there for a moment, working his jaw in thought of going down to the shop to find something to do to get his mind off his aching loneliness when Ginny appeared at the doorway of his bedroom, clutching her favorite stuffed bunny rabbit.

"Daddy?" she said. "I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?" she asked.

Tony relaxed and smiled. "Of course you can, baby. Come here," he said, getting back into bed and holding his arms open to her as she climbed up onto the bed and under the covers. She rolled over with her back to him, and she snuggled up against his chest. Tony wrapped his arms around his little girl protectively. "Bad dream, huh?" he asked. She nodded. "Yeah, me, too," he said. "But I'm glad you're here to make me feel better."

"You're welcome," she said, and Tony smiled to himself.

He kissed her hair, instantly feeling comforted by her presence. "I love you, baby," he murmured.

"I love you, too, daddy," Ginny said back. She sighed happily. "Much better."  
"Mmmm hmmm," Tony agreed, smiling softly as he drifted back to sleep with his daughter in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony smoothed sunscreen on his daughter's face, neck, back, arms and legs that Saturday in Rhodey's back yard. She was wearing a sky blue, ruffly one piece swimsuit, complete with water wings, and pink flip-flops. He'd braided her red hair in a long braid down her back, with her bangs being held back by the goggles she wore perched on the top of her head.

The family had gone to Rhodey's for the BBQ they'd discussed on the anniversary of Pepper's death, and both kids were anxious to cut loose and blow off some steam in their Godfather's pool.

"Okay, little missy, you are go for take off," Tony stated, cocking his head and looking at his daughter with a smile.

The little girl squealed as she kicked off her flip-flops, plunked her goggled down over her eyes, and she and her brother took off running down the deck of the pool, the both of them cannon-balling into the middle of it. The men laughed at the children, and Rhodey cracked Tony a beer and handed it to him before he flipped the burgers he had on the grill on his back patio.

Tony nodded in thanks and took it from him, taking a long swig and watching his kids play in the water as he leaned on the porch railing. Rhodey soon joined him. "To another year," he said, holding up his beer bottle for a toast.

Tony smiled and nodded, clinking his bottle with Rhodey's. "To another year," Tony repeated.

Rhodey took a long pull off his bottle, and smacked his lips as he swallowed his beer. "Kids seem like they were excited to come," he commented.

"Are you kidding?! It's all Ginny could talk about since you called," Tony replied. He chuckled and shook his head. "She's_ all _Pepper," he said, watching Ginny splash around. "More and more so everyday."

"I can imagine," Rhodey said. "And H.A is _you _all over again. I hope you get some mercy when that kid turns 18," he joked.

"For my sake, so do _I,_" Tony joked back.

They laughed.

"You have a beautiful family, Tony," Rhodey mused. "You're a lucky man."

Tony smiled bashfully. "Thanks, man," he murmured. "I know I'm lucky. I just wish she were _here, _you know?"

"Of course," Rhodey said. "We _all _do." Rhodey gave Tony's shoulder a brotherly pat.

Tony narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, remaining silent as he gazed at the kids playing in the water. Ginny was climbing out onto the deck and jumping back into the pool over and over, and H.A was doing flips off the diving board. "It's still happening, you know. The nightmares, I mean," he said softly.

Rhodey looked at his friend, and furrowed his brow. "Really?" he said.

Tony nodded. "Yep. And they are as _vivid _and _detailed _as the real thing was," he said. "Like the other night? I dreamt about when Pepper collapsed that night, when H.A had been so sick? And I woke up in a cold sweat."

"Damn," Rhodey said sympathetically.

"Yeah," Tony said. "And the worst part of it is? I think Ginny saw the whole thing. I looked up and there she was, in the door way of the bedroom, telling me _she'd _had a bad dream and needed to crawl into bed with _me."_

"So, what did you say to her?" Rhodey asked.

"Well, a second later, and I wouldn't have been there. I was just about to run down to the shop to find something to do to clear my head when she appeared," Tony said.

"Good thing she came when she did," Rhodey said.

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "This might sound weird, but...I kinda took it as a sign," he said.

"A sign? For what?" Rhodey asked.

Tony shrugged. "I don't know," he said. He turned around and set his bottle on the glass table in the middle of the porch. Then he leaned back on the railing, facing forward now, propped on his elbows. "I was a mess just after the dream. I couldn't help it. And I let it out into the ether that I just couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't be without Pepper anymore. And then Ginny appeared. So I guess I took it as a sign that... that maybe Pepper was..._listening, _or something, you know? And she sent Ginny to our room to make me feel better." He looked at his friend and smiled sheepishly. "Weird, right?"

Rhodey shook his head. "Not at all. I have to believe that the ones we lose don't ever really leave us, Tony. I think they can hear us, and maybe even _see _us."

"You _really_ believe that?" Tony countered.

Rhodey smiled bashfully. "Well, I know it's not the most _scientific _concept, but yeah. I _do. _And it kinda sounds like _you_ just might, too."

Tony turned back around and worked his jaw in thought. "I suppose I do a little, yeah," he replied. "Sometimes, it feels like she's right there, you know? And then sometimes, it feels like she couldn't be more far away."

"How about the kids? Do they still talk about her as much as they used to?" Rhodey asked.

Tony smiled. "They do. But the other day, at the mausoleum, H.A snapped at Ginny for saying she missed her mother as much as he did. I don't know what that was about, but he's never done that before."

"Is he angry about something?" Rhodey asked.

Tony shrugged. "Not that I'm aware of," he said. "But Ginny _was _quite a bit younger than H.A when Pepper got sick, so it would stand to reason that she wouldn't remember things being as bleak as they were. Maybe that's what's getting to him? That he and I had to witness so much more than she did?"

Rhodey shook his head. "I don't know, man," he said.

Tony furrowed his brow. "I would never want Ginny to _have to _remember the things that H.A and I do, you know? In a way, I'm _glad _that she was so little. All of the memories that she has of Pepper are very happy. She doesn't remember all of the time spent in the hospital, or having to watch Pepper suffer. You know what she said she misses most about her mother? Her _smell. _She said she had a good 'mommy smell'," Tony said. They chuckled, but then Tony swallowed hard, his eyes becoming glassy with tears.

Rhodey silently watched his friend as he tried to regain his composure.

"I told her I missed that, too," Tony murmured softly.

"It's the little things, huh?" Rhodey said.

Tony nodded. "Sure is," he agreed. He smiled graciously at Rhodey, and Rhodey smiled warmly back.

"Okay, I'm guessing the burgers are done," Rhodey said, making his way back to the grill. "Kids wanna eat?" he said, quickly plating them up.

"Guys! Soups on!" Tony yelled. H.A was treading water in the deep end. He looked at Tony and nodded, just as Ginny jumped off the deck yet again. But this time wasn't as exuberant as the times before. It looked like she'd landed too close to the deck.

Tony's heart stopped. "Ginny?!" he cried out, as, to his horror, her limp body floated back to the surface.

H.A paddled to his sister, as Tony hurdled the patio railing and sprinted to the water's edge, pulling Ginny's unconscious body to the deck. Rhodey was close behind.

"No, come on honey! Wake up!" Tony cried on his knees, his eyes wide as he watched her skin quickly lose its color and turn a ghostly bluish shade.

"What happened?!" Rhodey asked.

"I think her head hit the deck," Tony said, tipping his daughter's head back to listen for breathing. H.A climbed out, and stood beside his father.

"Dad?!" he cried helplessly.

Tony watched to see if her chest was moving. It didn't appear she was breathing.

Rhodey had two fingers on her neck. "I'm not feeling a pulse, here, Tony," he warned.

"Call an ambulance!" Tony instructed H.A. He tipped Ginny's head back, pinched her nose, and blew air into her mouth. Then he compressed her chest several times, and repeated the pattern. "Come on, Ginny!" he cried. "Wake up, baby!" He repeated the same pattern four more times, each time tears blurring his vision, causing him to swipe hastily at them in between the breathing and the compressions, and each time a little of him dying inside at the thought of losing his daughter.

But suddenly, the little girl spluttered, coughing up what must have been a gallon of pool water. "Oh my God!"Tony gasped, and pulled her to a sitting position. He pounded on her back as she gasped and chocked for breath. He could see the goose egg developing on the back of her head, and Ginny soon went from coughing and choking to whimpering.

"Daddy, my head hurts!" she cried, looking into his eyes. Tony wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her tightly.

"I bet it does, baby," he said, smiling in relief that she was even still around and coherent enough to tell him this. "You've gotta be more,careful, okay? You jumped in way too close to the edge of the deck, and you hit your head."

"I'm sorry," Ginny said. "I'm okay, now, though, right? I can keep swimming, can't I?"

Tony and Rhodey chuckled. "We'll still have you get checked out," Tony assured. He looked at Rhodey and they exchanged relieved glances.

They heard the ambulance siren as it got closer to the house. Soon, Tony saw H.A appear with the EMTs as they rolled a gurney out to the poolside where the three of them were. Tony helped Ginny to her feet and the EMT's instructed her to sit on the gurney as they examined her.

Tony put his arm around his son's shoulders.

"Never thought we'd have to do _that _again," H.A remarked.

"I know, buddy," Tony said. "But at least we know she's gonna be okay, right?"  
H.A nodded and smiled weakly. "Yeah," he said.

"Tony, I'm so sorry," Rhodey said.

"For what? She's okay. It was an accident. These things happen," Tony assured.

Rhodey smiled weakly and nodded.

The EMT's finished examining Ginny a few minutes later, and one of them, a woman with a long blond ponytail, came over to Tony to give him the results. "She's got a mild concussion. What made her lose consciousness was the fact that she inhaled so much water when she fell. If you want, we can take her in. But what they usually prescribe is a lot of rest for the next 4-5 days, and lots of fluids. You may want to keep her out of school, as she'll want to sleep a lot. And for tonight, wake her up every 2-3 hours. That way you know she's just resting, and there aren't any complications."

Tony nodded, and shook the woman's hand. "Thank you," he said. "I think we'll be fine here," he said.

The woman smiled. "I'm sure you will be. Just give her a little ice for the bump on the head, and keep her out of the pool for the rest of the day."

"Sounds good," Rhodey said.

The woman helped Ginny off the gurney and they bid the ambulance crew goodbye. "So I can't swim anymore, today?" Ginny asked her father sadly.

Tony pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, princess. I'm sorry. _But, _if you _want, _I think Rhodey's got a burger with your name on it."

"A _cheese _burger?" Ginny asked.

Tony chuckled. "A girl after my own heart," he said to Rhodey.

"Yay!" Ginny squealed running over to the patio and taking a seat eagerly at the table, her brother following behind her protectively.

Tony exhaled and Rhodey patted his friend on the back. "Close one," Tony said. He furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Wow," he said. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost _her, too,_" he said.

"Just be grateful you _didn't,_" Rhodey reminded him, as they walked over to join the children.


	5. Chapter 5

_Tony stared at the surgeon, numb with shock and disbelief. It was impossible. What should have been a quick surgery several days before to repair an aneurysm had turned into an endless nightmare, with more weakened blood vessels in Pepper's brain rupturing and causing it to almost continuously hemorrhage._

_"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," the surgeon said. "We've done everything we can to stop the bleeding. But the second we stop the hemorrhaging in one spot, another vessel opens up."_

_"But there has to be...I mean you have to...she can't...," Tony stammered desperately._

_The doctor shook his head. "By now, there is so much damage to her brain, the only thing left to do is to let you say goodbye. She doesn't have long now. Just be assured that she'll go peacefully, and without any more suffering."_

_Tony nodded, speechlessly. He scrubbed a hand over his face, and turned around to look at his kids, his heart breaking for them to be in this situation with him. H.A. was 7, and little Ginny was just 4. God, what am I gonna do without her?, he thought. I can't do this alone!_

_He turned back toward the surgeon. "Um, can...can I see her?" he asked softly, his voice weak._

_The surgeon smiled gently. "Of course," he said. _

_XxXxXxXxXx_

_A nurse had graciously volunteered to stay with the children, while the surgeon had taken him back to Pepper's room. He feared the kids seeing their mother like this would be too traumatic for them, as they'd already been through so much. And being with the love of his life for these last remaining moments was going to be hard enough._

_He stepped inside, and the surgeon bid him goodbye. Tony thanked him, and walked silently over to Pepper's bedside, where she lay with her eyes closed, her chest softly rising and falling, the only sound in the room being the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor. He'd managed to stay strong to this point, but now, seeing her and knowing she was slowly slipping away, he fell apart, and sat down heavily on the edge of bed. He pulled her into his arms. "Hello, my beautiful bride," he whispered, smiling through his tears as he kissed the side of her head, and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "They're telling me this is goodbye for us, Pep," he said. He pulled back and looked at her wistfully. "I'm gonna miss you, baby. We all are." He continued to gaze at her, trying to soak in everything about what would probably be the last time he'd get to see her alive. He shook his head sadly. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I never thought I'd have to BE without you, honey," he admitted. He brushed her hair back behind her ears and kissed her forehead. Then he gently laid his forehead against hers. "I'm not ready to give you up," he said, tears streaming down his face. He cupped her cheek, and stroked it with his thumb. He picked up her left hand and kissed it before looking at her wedding ring and smiling at it fondly. "I still love the way this looks on you. The day I married you was the greatest day of my life. Well," he said, sheepishly. "THAT and the day you told me we were pregnant," he mused. New tears burned his eyes. "I NEVER, in a million years, thought I would be a dad, Pep. You know that." Tony smiled, and patted her hand. "But now? I can't imagine life without our kids!" He bit his lip, as he started to cry again. "So, thank you, baby," he whispered. "Thanks for giving me your heart, our family, your love, and..." he said, his voice giving out. He shook his head again. "I can't live without you, Pep!" he whispered. "Please don't leave me alone! If you can hear me, hold on, okay? I don't want to live without you, baby. Please..."_

_His words were suddenly cut off by the rapidly increasing beep of the EKG machine. He sat back, and watched the screen, bringing her hand to his lips. At first glance, it looked like Pepper was coming back from the brink. But the surgeon had told him that, if Pepper's heart rate suddenly increased, it meant that she'd stopped breathing, and would quickly pass away soon after. He closed his eyes, keeping his lips pressed to the back of her hand, the rapid beeping of the heart monitor echoing in his ears as the realization that she was slipping away sank like a stone in his stomach. __Then suddenly, the rapid beeping stopped. He raised his head and flicked his eyes again to the monitor just in time to see her last heartbeat leave the screen, to be replaced by a flatline and a steady beeeeeeep before all was silent. _

_His shoulders started to shake as he began to sob. He pulled her upper body into his arms, and held her tight. "Goodbye, Pepper," he whispered. He hugged her tightly, and then lowered his lips to hers, kissing her softly. "You'll always be the love of my life," he murmured in her ear, gently rocking back and forth, trying to take in the last little bit of her warmth before death's chill came to claim her forever._

_XxXxXxXxXx_

Tony had brought his kids home from Rhodey's barbecue that evening, and both of them had gone to bed early. He made sure Ginny was comfortable, promised her he'd check on her every couple of hours after kissing her goodnight, and then he decided to go for a walk on the beach. The sun had almost set, and he watched the color start to fade out of the sky slowly as he walked, thinking about the night Pepper died, and how lonely the world had suddenly felt without her. Even when they weren't a couple, some how life had felt so much more happy and vibrant with her in it.

He bent down to pick up a flat rock, skimming it over the water's surface as he walked and thought. A seagull squawked over head and Tony watched it ride an air current above him for a moment before it flew farther out to sea. The last glimmer of daylight sparkled on the water, out to the horizon, but something else down the beach in the distance caught his eye. He squinted and strained to make out what his eyes were telling him was a silhouette of a person walking in his direction. The closer they came, the more detail he could begin to decipher. He realized it was a woman, in a long,white shimmering dress. She also had long flowing, red hair.

This made Tony stop, suddenly mesmerized by the familiarity of this silhouette. He blinked and squinted even more, trying to deny what he was seeing. "No," he whispered. "That's impossible." The figure got closer, to where he could discern the facial features. And what he saw made him gasp and fall to his knees. His breath caught in his chest. "Oh God, baby! Is that really you?!" he cried, tears filling his eyes and spilling over onto his cheeks.

The figure came to rest in front of him, and smiled. Tony stared at her in awe, unable to move. It was Pepper, shrouded in white, glittery, illuminating light. She held her arms out to him, and Tony scrambled to his feet, not being able to accept her invitation fast enough. He practically fell into her arms when he stood, but she was rock steady, and righted them both. He felt her hold him, and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. He began to sob, his shoulders shuddering as he cried in her arms, the sudden release of the weight of grief overwhelming him. She remained silent, holding him as he cried. And after a few moments, Tony pulled back to look at her. She was still softly smiling.

"I must be losing my mind," he murmured. He shook his head."How can you...I..you're _dead, _Pep! That night! In the hospital! I held you, until you went cold, in my arms!" he sobbed. "And the kids and I! We went to your grave two days ago. How is this even...?" he stammered. She raised a finger to his lips to gently quiet him, and she looked deeply into his eyes. Tony stopped talking, and gazed back at her, his eyes wide and questioning.

Pepper's lips didn't move, but Tony could hear her voice in his mind. "Save me, Tony," it said.

He looked at her curiously. "_Save _you?" he asked. "What do you mean? How can I save you?" He suddenly thought maybe he misunderstood her. "They _tried,_ honey. There was nothing they could do," he offered.

He heard her voice again. "Save me, Tony," it repeated.

Slowly, she started to fade. "No," Tony protested. "No, Pepper, please! Don't go. Don't leave me again!" he begged. But soon, she faded away and he was left standing in the sand, alone once again. He fell back to his knees, and began to weep bitterly, feeling the cold rush of loneliness and hurt sweep over him again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Love the response to this story! Thank you, all of you, who have reviewed, favorited, and followed! I really appreciate it! I know I appear a bit sadistic with this one, and all of the Pepperony angst, but I promise you I'm not really a cruel person (contrary to what you might believe! LOL!) Anyway, stick with it. I have a lot more in store, as I do for all of my current works-in-progress! Thank you again for your loyalty! **

Tony awoke to the sound of the waves, and the feeling of the morning air on his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see the sun coming up in the east. Realizing he was on the beach, he suddenly sat up, brushing the sand from his face and hair, and looked around, trying to get his bearings. Slowly, the recollection of what had happened seeped into his mind. "So real," he murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. The way it felt to hold Pepper again made his heart ache. He swore he could still feel her in his arms.

But the despair was quickly replaced by the panic of not being able to understand why he'd spent the night on the beach. Also, his mind sparked at another concern."Shit! Ginny!" he gasped, realizing he'd gone the whole night without checking on her. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted up the sand to the house, climbing the stairs to the back balcony and throwing the door open. Both children were on the living room couch watching TV, in their pajamas, staring at him curiously.

"Daddy? Are you alright?"Ginny asked cautiously.

Tony heaved a sigh of relief to see that she was okay. "Y-yeah, honey. I'm okay," he said breathlessly. "How's your head?"

The little girl smiled and shrugged. "It's fine," she said.

Tony nodded and smiled, grateful that she was feeling better.

"Did you spend the night on the beach?" H.A asked.

Tony looked at his son awkwardly. "I...uh," he said. "Just...just watch your sister. I'm gonna hit the showers."

The children watched their father cross the living room and jog up the stairs to his bedroom. Then they looked at each other and shrugged, dismissing his odd behavior.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony stripped down as the shower heated up. Then he climbed inside and let the water cascade down his back as he tried to go over the chain of events from last night, and recall the last thing that happened. He remembered the feeling of Pepper being in his arms again, and how wonderful it felt to see her smile and to hear her sweet voice. A lump formed in this throat at the thought, and he took a deep breath to keep his emotions from welling up again. _Save me, Tony, _he could still her saying. "What could that possibly mean?" he murmured out loud, furrowing his brow in thought.

He thought about what Rhodey had said the day before, about how he believed our loved ones never really leave us. _But is this what he meant by that?_, Tony wondered. Sure, he'd always have the memories of he and Pepper together. But did Rhodey literally mean that Pepper was still there, by his side, watching over him? Tony shook his head, and quickly finished his shower. He shut off the water and grabbed a towel off the rack to dry off. He stepped out and wrapped his around his waist. Then he walked to the mirror and examined his reflection. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head again. "I must be losing my mind," he said. "She's gone. We laid her to rest. That's all there is to it," he said with new resolve. "Last night was a dream. I fell asleep on the beach, and had a dream." He had to forget about what happened. If he didn't, it would eat him alive. The best thing for him to do, he decided, was to get dressed, and go downstairs to spend time with his children.

XxXxXxXx

A few minutes later, Tony jogged back downstairs, all clean, combed, and freshly shaven. Ginny's eyes lit up at the sight of her father, all put back together. Tony grinned at the little girl's dimpled smile.

"Wanna watch cartoons with us, daddy?" she asked. "You can sit by me!"

"I would _love _to sit by you, baby," he said, lifting her legs to sit down. He put them back over his lap.

"Feeling better?" she asked him.

"Yes," Tony said, nodding. "And I'm certainly glad to see that _you _are, as well."

Ginny nodded proudly. "I'm fine. Just a little tired, but I'm fine," she said. She sat up and climbed into his lap.

"Good," he said, pulling her into his arms. He kissed her on the top of her head, and then rested his cheek against it. "What are we watching?" he asked.

"Mega-morphing teenage robot ninjas," H.A answered plainly.

"Uh-_huh,_" Tony said skeptically. He cocked an eyebrow and gave his daughter a goofy look. She giggled.

"It's _funny_, daddy," she said, trying to persuade him.

"Oh, it looks..._hilarious,"_ he replied drolly. "Where's the Bugs Bunny? Or Wile E. Coyote?"

Both kids looked at him in confusion. "Okay, clearly I'm out of my league, here," Tony said.

He settled back, and pulled Ginny closer. He watched the show for a few moments, trying to grasp the appeal that it had to his kids when JARVIS spoke.

"In-coming call from Colonel Rhodes, Sir," he announced.

"Tell him to hold on, J. I'll take it down stairs," he said. He scooted Ginny off his lap. "Be right back, guys," he said, as he jogged down the stairs.

"Put him through, J," Tony requested, once he'd made it into the shop. He plunked down in his desk chair, and propped his feet up on his desk.

"Hey, Tony, just checking on my god daughter," Rhodey said.

"She's fine. Doing better than expected, actually. She was up bright and early this morning, watching the mighty-mega...uh...robot...teenage," he stammered. " Whatever. _Cartoons. _Let's go with that," he stated finally.

"I know, right? Some of the crap they have on TV for kids now. Like, what ever happened to Daffy Duck? And Bugs Bunny?" Rhodey commented.

"I _know_! That's what _I_ said!" Tony agreed. "It's a sad state of affairs if our children don't get exposed to bugs bunny in a viking helmet and a metal corset singing opera," he joked. The men both laughed.

"And _you? _How are you holding up? Yesterday was a little scary, I have to say," Rhodey said.

"Funny you should ask," Tony replied. He took his feet off his desk and sat up. He cleared his throat anxiously. "I...uh," he stammered, not sure how to begin. He sighed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," Rhodey said.

"When you said you believe that our loved ones never really leave us, did you _literally _mean that?"

Rhodey was silent. "I'm...not sure I follow, Tony," he said softly.

Tony scrubbed a hand over his face, and shook his head in disbelief at the conversation he was about to have with his friend. "I mean, do you..._literally _think," he began. "That Pepper _is, _in _fact, _still here? With _me_ in some way?"

He heard Rhodey clear his throat. "Well," he said. "Before I answer that, are you asking me for any specific reason? Did...did something else happen, Tony? You mentioned the dream you had the other night, and that you felt like it was a sign from Pepper that Ginny came to your room, right?"  
"Right," Tony agreed. He cleared his throat again, and chuckled nervously. "You're going to think I'm ready for the nut house," he murmured.

"Oh, I've thought _that _since the day we met," Rhodey teased.

"Ha!" Tony said, laughing. "Okay, smart ass. Well, that's about to be tested, then," he replied.

Rhodey's tone changed. "Why? What happened?" he asked curiously.

"Last night, after we came home, and I put the kids to bed? I went for a walk on the beach. It was sunset, and just as the light was fading, I saw..._someone," _he began.

"Someone? Like who?" Rhodey asked.

"It was... a _woman,_" Tony said reluctantly. "She was tall, and wore a long, sparkly white dress, and uh..." he said, his voice catching in his throat. "She had long red hair."  
"_Tony_," Rhodey warned. "You can't possibly think that was..."  
"Oh, there's more!" Tony interrupted. "I stopped walking, and I watched her, as she moved closer and closer to me. _Rhodey,_" he said. "It was _her."_

"Her," Rhodey said.

"Yes."

"Pepper."  
"Yes."

Both men were silent for a few moments, before Rhodey spoke again. "It was sunset, right? Maybe, in the heat waves, you thought you saw something," he reasoned.

"No, Rhodey," Tony argued. "It was _her. _She walked right to me. She even..." he said, his voice cracking. Tony went silent for a moment to regain his composure. "She even held her arms out to me, and..."

"And?" Rhodey said, anxiously.

"And I held her," Tony murmured. "As if she had never left. I could actually _feel _her, man. In my arms!"  
"Okay, you're right. This...just..._wow,_" Rhodey said in disbelief.

"I know! I know! It sounds..." Tony began.

"Crazy?" Rhodey offered. "Tony, seriously, man. I'm worried about you. You need to get some help."

Tony exhaled, and shook his head. "Rhodey, don't you think I know how crazy this sounds?! That my deceased wife came to see me on the beach last night? And she even talked to me?"  
"Whoa," Rhodey said. "She _talked _to you?"

"Yes!" Tony cried. "Not with her mouth, but more like...in my _mind," _he explained.

"Okay, now I've heard everything," Rhodey said. "Okay. For the sake of argument, I'm going to pretend to believe this, just for a second. _What_, if you don't mind my asking, did she _say, _exactly?"

"She said, 'save me, Tony'," Tony explained.

" 'Save me'," Rhodey repeated.

"Yeah. She said it twice, actually," Tony replied.

"Save her? From what?" Rhodey asked. "What in the world would that even mean at _this _point in time?"

"I don't know," Tony said. He shook his head, and chuckled sadly.

"This is crazy," Rhodey said.

"Oh, it gets better," Tony said.

"Better?! As in there's _more?"_ Rhodey exclaimed.

"After she spoke to me, she faded away, right in front of me. I begged her not to go, but she left almost as soon as she appeared! And then next thing I remember?"  
"Yeah?" Rhodey asked, anxiously.

"Is waking up this morning on the beach, right where she left me."

Rhodey went silent again. "You mean, you spent the _night _out there?"

"Yep," Tony said. "And I have _no _memory of falling asleep. All I remember is Pepper disappearing, and then me waking up on the sand."

"_Tony_," Rhodey said. "This isn't normal. People don't just _see _their deceased spouses walking toward them, much less interact with them, and then suddenly have a case of amnesia. Is there anything _else _that happened?"

"Why? Do you need more evidence that your best friend is losing his marbles?" Tony asked.

"Okay, alright, man, I, uh...," Rhodey stammered. "The kids. You need me to take the kids for a few days? Let you clear your head? Maybe check into some kind of...facility?" he offered, only half way joking.

Tony chuckled sadly. "Honestly, I don't know what to make of all of this, Rhodey," he said softly. "Why? Why _this?_ Why _now?_"

"Yesterday, with what happened with Ginny, I can only guess that it had some kind of subconscious effect on you. And with the anniversary of Pepper's death being only just a few days ago, maybe it was just a really vivid dream," Rhodey hypothesized.

"Yeah," Tony said, nodding in agreement. "May _be. _Maybe I should just try to forget it, huh?"

"Have you said anything to the kids about it?" Rhodey asked.

Tony scoffed. "_Please," _he said. "They already think I'm nuts for sleeping on the beach last night. You should have seen their faces when I tromped through the living room bright and early this morning, all disoriented and covered in sand. Do you really think I'd tell them I had a conversation with their mother while I was out there? You'd have got a phone call from them first thing, begging you to come take them away from their crazy old man," Tony joked.

Rhodey chuckled. "Tony, listen to me," he said. "I know these last few years have been hard. But you have to think about maybe moving the grieving process along a little more."  
Tony frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.  
Rhodey sighed. "I think you _know _what I mean," he said softly.

And he was right. Tony _did _know what he meant. Rhodey knew he'd never made the effort to box up Pepper's belongings, and really start to detach from her presence. Her clothes were still hanging in the closet. Tony'd kept her perfumes and cosmetics just as she'd left them in their bathroom. He was even still driving her car every day. And it was all because he didn't want to really face the idea that she was never coming back. At least with everything left the way it was, he could still feel close to her. But he knew he couldn't do this forever. There would come a time when he'd have to kiss those things goodbye, and officially move on without her. And that made him hurt. To his _core. _

"Yeah," Tony replied. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he admitted.

"That's all I'm saying, Tony," Rhodey said. "I guarantee you'll keep having these kinds of things happen, and they'll keep messing with your mind like they are, until you take the necessary steps to move on. It's only for the best, man."

Tony smiled sadly, and nodded. "I know, Rhodey," he said, sighing. "And you're right."

"Let me know if you need some help," Rhodey offered. "Until then, take it easy, huh? Get some rest? Play with your kids? Try to put all of this out of your mind."

"Or you'll be coming to take me away?" Tony joked.

Rhodey laughed. "Oh, I've had my eye on a straight-jacket for you for decades, Tony," he said. "Just been waiting for the right time to _use _it."

Tony laughed. "Well, the way I'm going, you'll have your pick of opportunities," he replied back. The men laughed.

"Seriously, though. Things get rough, or something else happens, you _know _you can call me, right?" Rhodey reminded him.  
"I _do _know that. And thanks, man," Tony said graciously. Just then he spotted H.A coming downstairs. "Hey, Rhodey? Gotta go. H.A needs me," he said.

The men bid each other goodbye, and Tony opened the shop door. "Hey, buddy? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Ginny says her head hurts, and she's tired. I thought I should come to get you," he said.

Tony smiled. "Good call," he said, ruffling the boy's hair. They both walked back upstairs together, and Tony walked over to his daughter.

"Hey, baby? What's the matter?" he asked, bending over his daughter, who was lying on the couch.

"I'm sleepy, and I have a head ache," she said, drowsily.

"Okay," Tony said, picking her up in his arms. "Back to bed you go. They said you'd need a lot of rest." He carried the little girl back upstairs to her bedroom, and gently laid her in bed. He tucked her in, and then went to get the children's Tylenol out of his bathroom cabinet. He handed her two of the grape-flavored tablets when he returned, and she chewed them up.

"There," he said. He bent to kiss her forehead. "Sleep tight, little sprite," he chimed, as he turned to go.

"Daddy?" she asked.

Tony stopped, and turned around. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Can I look at the pictures of you and mommy on your phone?" she asked.

Tony looked at her curiously. "I thought you said you were sleepy?" he said.

Ginny shrugged. "I _am," _she affirmed. "But I just feel like looking at them. Just for a minute. _Please_?" she begged.

Tony surrendered, and pulled his phone out of his pocket, opening his photo albums. He thumbed to the ones she usually was talking about- their wedding photos, and the photos of when she and H.A were born.

He knelt beside her bed and held up the screen for her to see. She took the phone from him, and smiled at the first photo. It was one of he and Pepper, cutting their wedding cake. He had his arm around her waist and his hand over her's as they cut the cake together. Ginny thumbed through the next few, and stopped at another wedding photo where Tony was holding Pepper in his arms, and gently kissing her cheek. She was smiling lovingly, her eyes closed dreamily as she cupped his cheek. "I love this one," she said. "Mommy looks like a princess."

Tony smiled to himself. "She certainly _does,_" he mused.

Ginny thumbed through some more, and came to rest on another one, in which Tony was gazing at Pepper in adoration, and she was returning his gaze. They looked so in love, and so happy, and his heart ached to remember such a blissful time. "Best day of my life," he murmured.

Ginny kept swiping through the pictures, landing on one with Pepper holding H.A, just after he was born. She looked exhausted, but completely euphoric and was positively glowing with motherly pride as she cradled her tiny son. "Wait, baby, isn't there a video of this?" Tony asked.

She handed him the phone, and Tony thumbed through his files to find it. "Ahh," he said. "_Here_ we go." He handed the phone back to Ginny, and jabbed the screen to hit play.

There was Pepper, holding their new baby, and smiling proudly. _"It is September 28__th__, and..." _they heard his voice say. The camera quickly jerked to the clock on the delivery room wall and then back to Pepper's face. _"It's like, four in the morning, and my wife, Virginia Marie Potts Stark, better known to the world as 'Pepper'," _he said ceremoniously. Pepper giggled. "_Has just given birth to quite possibly the most perfect baby the world has ever seen. Pepper, honey? Oh, light of my life? MOTHER of my child? Tell us, how are you feeling right now?" _he said, in a loving, joking tone.

Pepper giggled again. "_Well,_" she said, looking into the camera. "_I'm EXHAUSTED. But also completely in love,_" she said looking back at her son. _"He really IS the most perfect baby in the world, isn't he? I mean, just look at him!_" she said, her voice giving out with emotion. Tony panned the camera down to his son, who was peacefully sleeping in his mother's arms. The baby had Tony's olive complexion, and a thick shock of dark hair, that stuck out in all directions like downy feathers.

After a few moments, Tony slowly panned the camera from the baby's face up to Pepper's, watching her as she fawned over her son. The baby could be heard cooing off camera, and you could hear both Tony and Pepper chuckled happily. "_I love you, baby,_" Tony said. _"And I'm so proud of you."_

Pepper raised her eyes to the camera again. "_I love you, too,_" she said dreamily. "_Here,_" she offered. "_It's your turn. You take HIM,"_ she said, carefully handing Tony the baby. _"And I'll take that," _she said.

The camera jostled around, and soon Tony could be seen, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding his newborn son. "_Now it's YOUR turn to be interviewed, daddy,_" Pepper teased.

Tony beamed at his new title. "_Fire away, Potts,_" he said, smirking.

Pepper giggled. "_How does it feel to be holding your son for the first time?" _she asked him.

_"In a word? Amazing,_" Tony purred. The baby suddenly yawned and sighed loudly, and Tony beamed at him, cradling him closer in his arms. "_Tough day, huh, Pal?" _he said. He gently lifted one of the baby's hands to his lips and kissed it sweetly. Then he looked back at Pepper and smiled in admiration.

"_What?_" Pepper asked.

Tony shook his head in disbelief. _"Thank you," _he said. "_Really. I never would have thought..." _he said, his voice breaking.

_"What's this?" _Pepper teased. _"I believe this is the first recorded instance of Tony ACTUALLY shedding a tear, ladies and gentlemen? Could it BE that the great Tony Stark has developed a SOFT SPOT?_"

Tony scoffed and smiled at her sheepishly. _"You're just trying to embarrass me, Potts," _he said. _"And it's not going to work."_

"_Oh, I beg to differ,_" she argued. "_That's not what it looks like from here."_

Tony chuckled at her teasing him. _"Yeah, well," _he cooed at his son. _"If ever there was moment to be soft," _he said, pulling the baby up to his shoulder, and cuddling him gently. _"I think it would be NOW. Right, Mamma?"_

"_Here, here,_" Pepper purred. She'd lingered on the picture of Tony holding his son so tenderly for a few moments, before stopping the recording.

Ginny handed the phone back to Tony, who quickly brushed some stray tears away. He smiled at his daughter, and she smiled back. She rolled onto her side to face him. "Daddy? I have a question," she said.

"What is it, baby?" he asked, leaning closer to her, and gently stroking her forehead.

"If H.A was the most perfect baby in the world, what does that make _me_?" she asked.

Tony laughed. "Well, H.A was the most perfect _boy _baby, so that would make you the most perfect _girl _baby," he explained. "Make sense?"

She nodded. But the she frowned in thought. "So...what if you and mommy would have had _more _babies?" she asked innocently. "What would _they _have been?"

Tony looked at her curiously, and smiled. "_Well_," he said slowly, honestly stumped by her inquiry. "I guess they would have been pretty perfect, too, I suppose?" he offered.

"Hmmmm," Ginny said. "Did you and mommy ever _want _to have more babies?" she asked.

Tony smiled at her sweetly, and thought for a moment. "We never really _discussed _it, honey. But, if it was meant to be, I'm sure we would have," he said.

"I've always wanted a sister," she said.

"You have?" he asked, surprised by this revelation. She'd never expressed this to him before, and he was a little taken aback.

Ginny nodded. "I think it would be fun to have another girl in the house. I'm out numbered now, since Mommy isn't here anymore. Another girl would make it fair."

Tony laughed. "How very diplomatic of you," he joked.

Ginny smiled. "And boys are icky. No offense," she said.

"None taken," Tony replied. "Just do me a favor and keep thinking that until you're at least thirty five, huh? That'll save me a lot of heart ache."

Ginny giggled and Tony's heart warmed at her laughter. He smiled lovingly at her. "_Now,_ miss thing," he said, poking her playfully in the arm with his two index fingers. She giggled again, while trying to deflect his jabs. "It's nap time. You need your rest. Gotta heal up that noggin. Okay?"

"Okay," Ginny agreed.

Tony smiled at her as he pulled the covers up over her again, and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams," he murmured, as he turned to go.

He softly closed the door behind him, but leaned against the wall in the hallway, lost in thought. He and Rhodey's conversation resurfaced in his mind. "_Take the necessary steps to move on,_" he heard Rhodey say. "_It's only the for the best._"

Tony picked up his phone and reopened the video he and Ginny had just watched. Pepper's face, so tired, but so blissful, looked back at him as he pulled up the options menu, and stared at the delete button for a moment, his thumb hovering over the top of it. "He's right, you know," he said to her. "I can't live in the past forever, Pep. You understand."

Suddenly, the image of how she looked to him the night before, and the sound of her voice in his head, saying, "_Save me, Tony," _began to drown out Rhodey's voice. Tony's thumb quivered and twitched in hesitation for several seconds before he sighed heavily, chickening out and reverting the screen back to the original menu, leaving the video in tact.

He shook his head. "Damn it. How am I ever going to get over her?" he murmured to himself.


	7. Chapter 7

Tony and his children spent the rest of Sunday together, watching movies and lounging around. And by that evening, Ginny was back to her inquisitive, giggly self. She still had a sizeable bump on her head, but she hadn't complained of any pain since she'd woken up from her nap, and said she was feeling much better by the time bedtime rolled around. Which is why Tony was a bit alarmed the next morning, when H.A was the one who was up first. This had _never _happened, in all of H.A.'s life. And he wasted no time in bragging to his father that, for once, he was ready for school before his sister had even opened her eyes. Tony hadn't planned to have her go to school that morning anyway, but the fact that she hadn't even stirred since the night before made him very uneasy.

Tony knocked on the little girl's door softly. "Ginny?" he called out. "You okay?"

He heard a grumble from the bed, which made him feel slightly better, but still a little alarmed. "Daddy, I don't feel good," she moaned. Tony frowned and walked in, crouching down beside her bed. Her skin was pale and clammy, and he put a hand to her forehead. She felt a little warm, but what concerned him was her pupils being dilated, in a room filled with sunshine, which made her squint.

"What do you feel like, baby?" he asked softly.

"I'm tired. My head hurts again, and I feel like I wanna puke," she said.

Tony stroked her hair, and watched her for a moment. He didn't like how lethargic she was. This was so unlike her. Ginny took after her mother in that she was always bright eyed and bushy tailed first thing in the morning. He knew she probably still needed to heal from her concussion, but these symptoms were very concerning. She seemed to have gone from being on the mend, to feeling worse than when she got the concussion in the first place.

Ginny rolled over. "I just wanna sleep," she said weakly. "I'm _so _tired."

"Hmmmm," Tony said, frowning, and realizing the problem with taking H.A to school, and Ginny not feeling well enough to ride along. "Hey, J? Call Happy. Tell him he'll have to dust off his chauffeur hat today. H.A. will need a ride to school."

"Of course, sir," the AI replied.

Tony stroked his daughter's hair. "I'm sorry you feel so yucky," he said.

Ginny gave him a weak smile, and soon she dozed off again. "J?" he whispered. "Monitor her vitals, and do a scan of her head. I'm not liking this turn for the worse with her."

"Certainly, sir. And Mr. Hogan is set to arrive shortly to drive Master Stark to school."

Tony watched his daughter sleep as JARVIS scanned her head, and was growing increasingly worried.

"Scan complete," JARVIS reported.

" And?" Tony asked softly.

"There is some residual bruising from her injury a few days ago," the AI explained.

"But nothing else that's suspect?" Tony asked, a small part of him bracing for the worst.

"Nothing that would cause alarm, Sir," he said.

Tony exhaled with relief. "So why is this worse after last night?" he asked.

"Concussions typically take a week to recover from. I would suggest that this is all part of her recovery. It's best for Miss Stark to get plenty of rest and fluids over the next few days. I'm afraid her studies may have to be put on hold," JARVIS explained.

Tony smiled. "Won't be a problem,J. Plus, some time spent with my little lady might just do us both some good," he said, picking up his daughter's hand and kissing it tenderly.

XxXxXxXxXx

_It was an overcast, dreary day. Many people stood around the casket with umbrellas, to fend off the light drizzle that had begun, but Tony didn't care if it was a downpour. He was barely aware of anything else besides the sudden emptiness in his life, pressing down on him like a lead weight. H.A. stood huddled next to him, hugging him around the middle. Tony had one arm around his son's shoulders, and his other was holding his daughter, who was asleep against his shoulder. He couldn't blame her. She was so young, and with so much happening and so many strange people around since Pepper had passed away, he knew she was a little overwhelmed. And he could relate to her exhaustion. He wished he could curl up and go to sleep, too. These days, he had that urge more than anything. He had secretly wished he could just go to sleep and never wake up again._

_But he knew he couldn't do that. His children needed him. And,truthfully, he needed them,too. They were the very last living part of Pepper he had left. And he had to be strong and take good care of them, like Pepper would have wanted him to. He turned his head to kiss his little girl on the forehead, making her and H.A. this solemn promise in his head._

_"I can't believe we've lost another one," Pepper's mother, Marilynn said. She was standing next to Tony as the priest spoke to the mourners in attendance. "And so young this time. I never thought I'd have to bury my Ginny!" she cried, as tears spilled onto her cheeks.__Tony pursed his lips and closed his eyes, fighting hard to keep yet another round of tears from coming on._

_Marilynn shook her head. "It's such a shame. Just a tragedy to be leavin' you and these babies behind." She looked at Tony through her tears, but he just stared at Pepper's casket. He couldn't look away. It was so hard to believe that just days ago, she was in his arms, alive and well, and now she was cold, and lifeless inside that box, and about to be sealed up forever in the crypt freshly marked with her name, in the place where he'd always thought he'd be laid to rest long before her._

_"Ashes to ashes," the priest said solemnly, at the end of the service._

_"And dust to dust," the mourners chanted in unison. _

_Then the pall bearers came, and lifted the casket off the casters, and carried it into the Stark Mausoleum._ _Tony entered first, followed by Pepper's mother and other relatives. He sat down on the bench in front of Pepper's open crypt, adjusting Ginny so that she was across his lap, and he could hold her in his arms. He watched as Pepper was eased in,, and the mortician sealed the door behind her, the sound of the handle clamping down echoing in the white marble room. Tony closed his eyes. "Goodbye, baby," he whispered, closing his eyes. He heard H.A. sniff loudly, and he looked at his son. The boy's eyes were red and tears ran down his cheeks. Tony pulled H.A. to him, and kissed the top of his head. _

_"I miss her, dad," he murmured softly. _

_"I know you do, buddy," Tony answered. "I miss her, too."_

_His grandmother noticed this, and rubbed her grandson's arm. Tony looked at her and gave her a sad smile. She returned the same smile, and nodded. Then he turned his gaze back to the door of the crypt, and for the first time, read his wife's name on the placard that had been placed there just the day before, where his own name once rested. He flicked his eyes to the next crypt over, where his placard had been moved to. Someday,Pep, he thought. We'll be together again._


	8. Chapter 8

Tony had spent most of the morning in the shop after Ginny went back to sleep. Jarvis had been keeping him posted on her condition, and so far, nothing had caused alarm. He had just decided to take a break when Jarvis had let him know that Ginny was out of bed and coming to see him. "Is she okay?" he asked with concern, but Jarvis didn't answer as Tony saw her coming down the stairs just then. He went to the shop door, and opened it for her. She looked at him with squinted eyes as she entered, and he figured that was a sign her pupils were still dilated. "What's the matter, baby?" he asked her.

"I can't sleep any more," she answered. "It's too boring."

Tony chuckled, understanding what she was talking about. Too much idle time, and his brain, like hers, demanded stimulation. "Well," he said. "_I _was just about to quit for today, and go watch some cartoons," he told her.

She looked at him skeptically. "Daddy, you don't watch cartoons!" the little girl said, giggling.

Tony grinned. "I do _so!" _he cried. "Especially when my daughter is home to watch them _with _me. So how about it, Toots?" he asked, extending his hand to her, and smirking. "Do we have a date?"

Ginny grabbed her father's hand.

"Alright!" he exclaimed happily, as they headed back upstairs. "Best sick day ever."

XxXxXxXxXx

The two had settled in on the couch, and Tony had made sure Ginny was plenty comfortable with pillows behind her head, a fluffy blanket over her, and her legs draped over his lap. He didn't really care what they watched. He was just happy to have this time with her. He never, in his whole life, would have thought that he'd enjoy having a daughter. But not a day went by that he wasn't amazed by her. He adored how much she reminded him of Pepper. And he loved talking with her, and learning about how she saw the world. She'd always been very perceptive, and sometimes said things that seemed so far beyond her years, that Tony would be in awe of what was otherwise just an innocent observation. But then, she'd go right back to being a giggly, happy-go-lucky little girl. This made him miss Pepper greatly, and he deeply regretted her not being able to watch their little girl grow up. He regretted that for both of his children. Pepper had been such a loving, attentive mother, and it broke his heart that she wasn't there to share these kinds of moments with him.

Ginny caught her father gazing at her, and blushed, giggling. "Watch the show, dad!" she scolded playfully. Tony caught himself staring, and gave her an impish grin.

"Sorry, honey," he said. "I'm just enjoying taking care of you today." Ginny smiled and Tony smiled back. "How's your head?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Okay, I guess," she replied. "It just aches. Sometimes worse than others."

Tony frowned. "Well, if it gets to be too much, you'll tell me, right?" he asked.

Ginny nodded, and Tony smiled.

"Daddy, can I ask you something?" she asked after a moment.

"Always, baby. You know that," he replied.

"Do you ever wish you could start over?" she asked.

Tony looked at her curiously. "What do you mean? Why would I want to do that?" he asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe make different choices? Live a different life?" she said.

Tony frowned. "Ginny, why are you asking me this? Do _you _think I should have made different choices and lived a different life?"

Ginny looked away in thought silently for a moment. "I know you're still sad, daddy," she said softly. "You miss mommy, and that hurts you. I know because I hear you talk to her in your sleep."

Tony felt suddenly exposed and vulnerable in his little girl's eyes. A lump formed in his throat. "You do?" he said hoarsely.

Ginny bit her lip and nodded. "So, if you could go back, you could choose...to not have to be sad," she said.

Tony leaned over and looked his daughter in the eye. "Ginny, listen to me," he said. "I've _never _wanted a different life. But you wanna know my only regret?"

Ginny furrowed her brow, and nodded.

"My only regret _is,"_ he said, picking up her hand in both of his. "Not getting with your mother _sooner."_

Ginny smiled. And Tony smiled back. "Yeah, a lot of years were spent without her love in my life. And every day I curse myself for being so blind. So, if there's anything I can tell you, honey. It's that life is precious. Don't waste time chasing after the wrong things. Because you'll forget to see the right things right in front of your face. God knows I did. For almost a decade."

Ginny smiled at her father's words.

"And besides," he said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing it sweetly. "If I'd chosen a different life, I wouldn't have you and H.A., would I?"

She shook her head, and Tony shook his in response. "No, I wouldn't," he said. "And you guys are the greatest thing in my life. Who could ask for better kids?"

Ginny gave her father a satisfied smile, and turned her attention back to the TV screen. Tony smiled back at her, glad he could put this question to rest for her, and turned his gaze back to the screen as well.

Several minutes passed, and Tony noticed that Ginny had gone back to sleep. He watched her chest rise and fall softly, and he was glad she was getting some more rest. He was feeling a bit drowsy himself. So he shifted down in his seat, and propped his crossed ankles up on the coffee table, settling in to close his eyes and nap with her.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony felt the presence of someone walking behind the couch. His sleepy eyes slowly opened and he lolled his head from side to side, trying to orient himself as he felt the sensation of someone's fingers brushing across the back of his neck. "Tony," he heard them whisper, and this made him gasp and bolt upright in his seat. He blinked, trying to reckon his surroundings, and, there, standing in front of him, was Pepper.

"No! It can't be!" he whispered, his eyes wide. He glanced at Ginny beside him on the couch, who was still fast asleep, and then back at Pepper. He slowly stood up to face her, and she smiled warmly as he approached her. She was in the same, white, sparkly dress she'd been in when he saw her on the beach, her skin still radiating white light all around her. But this time, there was something very different about her. Tony shifted his eyes down to her middle, where he noticed she was quite round, as if she was in the third trimester of a pregnancy. This made his breath catch in his chest, and a sob escape his throat.

"Look at you!" he said, slowly resting his hands on her belly. She just continued to smile as he marveled at her, tears of joy forming in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. He bent down and kissed her belly, and then raised back up to look into her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her.

She just kept smiling, but she looked deeply into his eyes. "Save us," he heard her say, though her lips didn't move as he heard her voice. "Save us, Tony."

Tony choked out another sob, and shook his head. "Baby, I don't know what you mean," he murmured. "Help me to understand, okay? I don't know what you need me to do."

Pepper flickered before his eyes, and then started to fade. "Save us," he heard her voice say again, her eyes now pleading as she faded from sight before him.

"No, Pepper," he whispered, trying desperately to grasp her, but his hands just cut through thin air. "No, don't go. Please! Stay with me, Pepper!" he begged, but it was no use. She was gone, and he was left standing in the middle of his living room, alone once again.

Tony's mind whirled, trying to make sense of what had just happened. His chest heaved and he stumbled backwards before he collapsed back onto the couch. Bitter tears filled his eyes, and his shoulders shook as he began to sob, the feeling of being alone again crashing over him like a tidal wave. He held his head in his hands and cried, trying not to make a sound and wake Ginny.

But soon he felt her stir, and her sleepy voice called his name. "Daddy?" she asked.

He quickly swiped at his tears, and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm here, honey," he said, trying to put on a brave face.

Ginny looked at him through bleary eyes for a moment. "Are you...are you _crying_?" she asked him cautiously.

Tony just looked at her for a moment, and then smiled at her sheepishly. "I'm just missing mommy," he explained.

Ginny climbed out from under her blanket and piled onto Tony's lap. She hugged him around his neck as she laid her head on his shoulder, and Tony pulled her across his lap, and held her close, burying his nose in her hair, and trying to steady his breathing.

"I don't want you to hurt any more," she murmured.

Tony smiled through his tears. "I don't want to hurt anymore, either, princess," he said. "But having you here with me helps."

Ginny raised her head to look at him. "It does?" she asked.

Tony smiled lovingly at her. "Of _course _it does," he said.

Ginny smiled with satisfaction, and laid her head back on her father's shoulder. He squeezed her to him again, and rested his cheek on the top of her head. But his face when back to a pensive frown. _Save us, Tony, _he could still hear Pepper's voice saying.

_What could she mean?, _he asked himself. _And what could I possibly do?_


	9. Chapter 9

Ginny snuggled against Tony's chest, and soon fell back to sleep. As soon as he noticed this, he laid her back down and left the room, heading out to the balcony, his phone in his hand.

He dialed it, and soon heard the voice of his best friend.

"Colonel Rhodes?" Rhodey answered.

"Yeah, hi, Rhodey," Tony said, anxiously running a hand through his hair, and looking back behind him to make sure Ginny was still asleep on the couch. "It's, uh, it's me," he said, turning back around.

"Tony? What's wrong? You sound..."

"It happened _again, _man," Tony said cutting him off.

"_What _happened?" Rhodey said cautiously.

"Pepper," Tony replied. "She came to me again. I fell asleep on the couch, and..."

"Well, there you go," Rhodey said with a little relief. "Sounds like it was just a dream."

"No," Tony argued. "I heard her call my name, and I woke up. Suddenly, there she was, standing in front of me again."

"Tony," Rhodey warned. "_Really. _This is..."

"But this time? She was...," Tony started, ignoring him, but his voice faltered as he swallowed hard, trying to fight the lump forming in his throat. "She was different. She was..._pregnant,_ Rhodey."

"Oh, come _on_, Tony, this isn't funny," Rhodey said wryly. "A post humus pregnancy, huh? Who knocked her up? _Elvis?!" _he mocked, instantly regretting his crass words. He let out an uncomfortable sigh. "Scratch that, man, I didn't mean..."

"No,no. I get it. I sound crazy," Tony admitted softly. He took a deep breath. "Hell, I _feel _crazy. Don't you think I wish I was calling for a different reason? I mean, you don't know what this is doing to me, man. Seeing her? And being able to _feel _her again? I put my hands _on _ her stomach, Rhodey. And it felt as real as..."

"Yeah,okay," Rhodey said. He sighed heavily. "I know I'm gonna regret asking this," he said. "But...did she speak to you? Again?"

"She said 'save us'," Tony replied softly.

"Save _us,_" Rhodey repeated. "_ Us. _Who's us?"

"I don't know," Tony said. Suddenly, he gasped, as a realization hit his brain. "Oh my God," he murmured.

"What? What is it?" Rhodey asked.

"What if...no, that couldn't be,"Tony said, shaking his head in denial. "She would have told me," he muttered to himself.

"Told you what? Tony!" Rhodey said impatiently.

Tony couldn't speak, the pieces quickly falling into place in his mind. Just before Pepper died, he remembered she was exhausted and not feeling well. He thought it was because she'd been up at night taking care of H.A. when he was sick, and her system might have been fighting what he had. But _now, _she may have been exhausted for a reason totally unexpected.

"Oh my _God,_" Rhodey said, suddenly fully understanding. "Don't tell me you're actually suggesting that Pepper might have been _pregnant _when she died?" he asked.

Tony shook his head again."No. If she knew, she would have told me. I know it. She wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret," he murmured.

Rhodey sighed heavily. "I hate to say this because I know I'll only be encouraging you," he warned. "But what if she..._didn't_ _know."_

Tony stood stone still, as he processed Rhodey's words.

"Hello? You still there?" he heard his friend say.

"Yeah, I'm..." Tony stammered. _He's right. What if she didn't know?, _he thought. He shook his head sadly, trying to push the thought out of his mind. "I guess we'll never find out, will we?" he said.

"Look, Tony, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Rhodey explained.

"No, man, you're fine," Tony assured, trying not to think about the idea that Pepper might have died carrying a child he'd never get to meet.

"You're _sure?_" Rhodey asked.

Tony smiled and nodded. "Yeah, buddy. We're good. Can't cry over what can never be, right?" he said, a little glumly, though he was trying to sound upbeat. He took a deep breath to clear his mind. "And you know what? I've been thinking a lot about what you said. And you're right. It's time to let go. I need to move on. It's what Pepper would want."

"Right," Rhodey said. "But do it because _you _think it's what you should do."

Tony looked out toward the ocean, watching the waves lazily lick the shoreline. "I _am__,_" he said with quiet resolution.

"Good," Rhodey said. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Tony smiled at his friend's support. "Thanks, man. And I will," he said.

The two men bid each other goodbye, and Tony tucked his phone back into his pocket. He ran both hands through his hair, and took another deep breath. Then, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back into the living room, walking over to the couch to check on Ginny. She was still fast asleep, and Tony was grateful that he hadn't woken her. He leaned over the back of the couch, and gentle stroked her hair. She smiled softly in her sleep, and Tony smiled back. "I love you," he whispered to her, bending down to give her forehead a tender kiss before going downstairs to search for some boxes. He'd resolved that that night, after the kids had gone to bed, he's started clearing Pepper's things out of the closet.

XxXxXxXx

It was around 10:00 that evening, and Tony had just put his kids to bed. Ginny was still complaining of a headache at dinner, but he'd given her more pain medication, and that had taken the edge off enough for her to think she'd be able to sleep. He tucked her in, and gave her a kiss good night. She'd smiled at him, and given him a big hug before turning out her bedside lamp, and curling up in her covers.

Tony closed her door softly, and took a deep breath. "Well," he said to himself. "Let's do this."

He walked into his dark bedroom and flicked on the light to the walk-in closet. He glanced around the space where Pepper's clothes still hung. After she'd died, he'd found himself standing in there on several occasions, just staring at them. The closet had held her presence for so long, as wisps of her perfume would tease his senses every time he was in there. But now, it was very faint, if even still at all existent, and it only created a throbbing ache in his heart to be in there with all of her belongings. "Time to let go," he muttered, grabbing a few items. Almost all of them had designer labels, and he knew any area second hand store would die to have them, so he shifted whatever he pulled into a large box he'd brought upstairs earlier that afternoon, hangers and all. Once he'd cleared at least half of all of the hanging items, he stopped, surveying the dent he'd made. It was an odd feeling for him, to stand in front of her side of the closet and see bare walls for the first time since she'd moved in so many years ago.

There was still, however, one item still hanging up at this end of the closet. It was in a long, black garment bag. Tony furrowed his brow and cocked his head, curious as to what this bag held. Slowly, he lifted it off the closet rod, and walked out to the bed, holding it in front of him. He unzipped the bag and gasped.

Inside, was Pepper's wedding dress, still as perfect and pristine looking as it was when she wore it on their wedding day. Tony worked to free it from the confines of the bag, and once he did, he held the hanger out in front of him, letting the dress's full length fall to the floor. He bit his lip, his chin quivering at the sight of this vivid reminder of her. "Damn it," he admonished himself, as he swiped at fresh tears.

He hung the hanger on the top of the closet door. A sob caught in his chest as he took a step back and put a hand on his hips, as he surveyed it, bringing the other to his mouth. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. He remembered how stunning Pepper looked that day, like she'd walked straight out of a dream, and somehow miraculously agreed to spend her life with him. "I could never understand why you'd be crazy enough to want to be with me, Pep," he joked out loud. He chuckled through his tears. "I always wondered when you were going to wake up and realize I didn't deserve you." He laughed to himself again, but his mirth quickly left, and was replaced by all-too-familiar anguish. "_God, _you were so beautiful," he murmured. "I've never seen anyone look as gorgeous as you did. And the best part was, you were _mine, _Pep. All _mine. _To have and to hold, right, baby?" He smiled again. He gazed at the dress for a few more moments, and then grabbed the garment bag off the bed. He began tucking the dress away inside it again. "Well," he said, carefully zipping the dress back into the bag. "_This _one I'm keeping. We have a daughter who would probably love to wear it one day_. __And..." _Tony said, pulling it up by the hanger and carefully hanging it back in the closet. "She'll be almost as beautiful as you were in it, too, Pep. I'm _sure,_" he said proudly.

Tony looked to the floor, suddenly noticing a box that had been tucked behind the garment bag in the corner. He bent down, and pulled it to him. The lid read _Maria _across the top, and Tony slowly lifted it off, revealing an assortment of old momentos he recognized from long ago. "What is _this _doing here?" he murmured, wondering to himself as he sifted through it. There were pictures of him with his mother, and she and his father. There was a small scrapbook containing newspaper clippings about Tony from his childhood, and ribbons, medals, and small trophies signifying many of his achievements growing up. On the bottom, was a leather bound diary, nave blue in color, with his mother's initials in the bottom right hand corner, embossed with gold leaf. He sat down on the closet floor to read it, but JARVIS interrupted.

"Sir, Ms. Stark isn't well," the AI said urgently. "Her pulse has rapidly increased, her respiration is quite heavy, and she's begun to seize. I suggest you..."

"On it!" Tony barked, scrambling to his feet and tossing the diary on top of the box of Pepper's clothes as he ran out the door and down the hallway.

He bolted in the door of Ginny's bedroom, and he could hear her gasping for air. Tony flicked on the bedside lamp to see her eyes were wide and frantic, and her body was jerking and seizing violently.

"Ginny?!" he cried, panicked as he laid eyes on what was happening. "JARVIS! Call an ambulance!" he instructed. He watched as she tried to bring her eyes to his, but she couldn't keep them steady. "H.A!" he called out. "Come quick!"

He could hear the boy scrambling to get out of bed in the next room.

"D-Dad-Daddy?" she said, her voice trembling as she shook.

Tony shook his head, and shushed her. "It's okay, baby. I'm here. I'm here," he assured, pulling her into his arms.

"Dad? Oh my God!" he heard H.A exclaim over his shoulder. Tony glanced behind him to see his son standing in the doorway, wide eyed, and paralyzed with fear.

H.A glanced back and forth between his sister and his dad. "Is sh-she-she, is..." H.A. stammered.

Tony broke away from Ginny, and ran to his son, grasping his shoulders in both of his hands. "Son, _listen _to me, okay?"

The boy just nodded numbly, still glancing between his father's face and his sister, violently convulsing on the bed in a seizure.

"The ambulance will be here soon. Go downstairs and wait for them so you can let them in, okay?" Tony said. "_Please, _son."

H.A. stayed silent. He nodded and left his father's presence. Tony watched him run down the stairs, his heart breaking that his boy would have to go through this again. He spun around and ran back to Ginny's bed. Her seizure had stopped, but now she laid limply on the bed, her breathing heavy, and her eyes closed. Her skin was cold, pale, and clammy, and she was completely unresponsive. Tony pulled her back into his arms, brushing her hair back from her face, watching her every breath. "Hold on, baby. Daddy's here. I won't let you go, okay? You'll be alright. Help's coming," he assured his daughter, softly. He held her to him, rocking her back and forth for a few minutes before he heard the siren for the ambulance approaching outside. He knew what he had to do, so he forced himself to pick her up in his arms and carry her down the stairs, the world suddenly moving in slow motion as he was being made to relive the night Pepper collapsed. H.A had let in the EMT's, and Tony met them at the bottom of the stairs, his little girl in his arms, as they brought in a gurney. As soon as Tony laid her down on top of it, H.A ran to his father and squeezed him tightly around his middle, sobbing uncontrollably as Tony tried his best to answer their questions, his ears ringing and his heart shattered with the sudden shock of what had so quickly transpired in just a matter of minutes.

"Dad?" H.A. asked, raising his head to look up at his father. "Is she gonna die?" the boy asked. Tony couldn't respond. He felt paralyzed, watching silently, helplessly, as they strapped an oxygen mask to his daughter's face, secured her on the gurney, and rolled her out to the ambulance.

Tony worked his jaw slowly. "I don't know,H.A," he said finally, weakly. "I just don't know."


	10. Chapter 10

**Just wanted to tell all of you thank you for your loyalty and your reviews! I know this is a tough one to read! And believe me! It's a tough one to write! But thank you for sticking with it! And there is plenty more to come!**

_Tony awoke to the fussy sounds of his new born daughter coming out of the speaker of the baby monitor. Pepper stirred and groaned. "Go back to sleep, Pep. I got this," he said, patting her hip._

_"Mmmm, thanks," Pepper grumbled sleepily, quickly rolling over and going back to sleep._

_Tony crept into the next room to find the baby wide awake, and fussing impatiently. "Hey! Hey, little girl. What's the matter, huh?" he cooed to her softly as he picked her up out of her bassinet and laid her against his shoulder. It was their first night home from the hospital since she'd been born, and it was Tony's turn to attend to her. _

_"What's going on, here, huh?" he said softly. The baby whimpered as Tony walked to the changing table, laid her down, and unbuttoned the bottom half of her little pink footie pajamas. "Okay, I see what the problem is," he said, noticing her diaper was very wet. "This is a daddy level emergency, so you're in luck, babe," he said. "But just know? Anything higher than this, and reinforcements would have had to be called in."_

_Tony heard giggling behind him, as he stripped off the wet diaper, and proceeded to change his daughter. He looked over his shoulder. "I thought I said I got this?" he said. _

_"Baby monitor," Pepper said, leaning against the door frame and smiling at him. "It's hard to sleep when I can hear you and your daughter having a conversation."_

_"Yeah, well," Tony said, finishing buttoning the last of the snaps. He picked the little girl up, who was quite contented now, and cradled her in his arms. "It just so happens I find her very easy to talk to." _

_"Good thing," Pepper said, grinning. "Because that will be tested when she's about thirteen or so."_

_Tony shook his head in denial. "Not MY daughter," he said. "She and I are going to be best buds. Isn't that right, princess? Yes. Mommy doesn't think so, but I do," he cooed to her sweetly._

_Pepper giggled again. The baby yawned and snuggled into her father's protective arms, easily dozing off again. "Crisis averted," Pepper whispered jokingly. _

_Tony smiled. "Go ahead and go back to bed, baby," he murmured to her quietly. "Me and Miss Muffett, here, need some daddy-daughter time."_

_"Now? In the middle of the night?" Pepper asked. _

_"Yes, now," Tony said. "Go on. I'll be along shortly."_

_Pepper shrugged. "It's YOUR sleep deprivation," she said. She pecked his cheek. "Just don't be TOO long, huh?"_

_Tony smiled and nodded. Pepper left the room and he settled in to the rocking chair across from the crib, bringing his daughter up so that she laid against his chest. He felt her warmth against him, and he reached inside the crib to grab a receiving blanket to drape over her back. As soon as he did this, she gave a happy little sigh, and he smiled. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and began to rock gently back and forth. _

_"So glad you're finally here," he murmured. He pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her head, feeling her light red, feathery wisps of hair against his lips. She felt so delicate to him, like a fragile little doll. When H.A was born, Tony remembered thinking he was so small, but that he was also strong, and sturdy. H.A was a very strong baby, and he remembered Pepper complaining about frequently getting a hard kick in the side or the ribs when she was pregnant with him. And H.A was a mover. It was rare during Pepper's pregnancy that he wasn't moving, and the same held true after he was born. He liked to be where the actions was, and to look around, and be able to play. But Ginny was the opposite. She was active in moderate amounts, but was quite contented when she was in someone's arms just watching the world go by or sleeping. She was calm when her needs were met, however she would certainly let her mom and dad know when she needed something. Tony teased Pepper that her temper was a genetic trait that she'd passed along to their daughter, and Pepper shot back with the fact that it was just a "red headed Potts thing", and he wouldn't understand._

_Tony took one of her hands in his, and raised it up to his lips to kiss it. He marveled at how tiny it was, and how soft her skin was compared to his. Pepper had given her her first at-home bath just before putting her to bed, and she smelled so sweet, like lavender and...and...he didn't know what. Just perfection,he thought happily. He never knew having a little girl would feel like this. He loved having a son, and saw so much of himself in him. But now that Ginny was here, he wanted to keep her in his arms every minute of the day. He wanted to protect her from the world, and all of its chaos and mayhem. "I'll always keep you safe, baby girl," he promised in a whisper. "I won't let anything ever happen to you. You're daddy's girl, honey. Nothing's ever going to change that." _

_In the room next door, Pepper was in bed, curled up in the blankets, listening intently to his voice in the baby monitor, and wiping the tears silently from her eyes._

_XxXxXxXxXx_

Tony stared hopelessly at his daughter's face, completely lost as he recalled that night. It didn't seem real, to be in this place again. Today, the wound from Pepper's death had been ripped open again, gaping and bleeding far worse than it had before. He wondered if it would _ever _heal. He couldn't see how it would.

He picked up Ginny's hand, and held it in his. It was cold, with almost a plastic, waxy feeling to it, not at all the way it had felt in the past. He gazed at her face, bending closer, trying to memorize every last detail before it was too late, and he'd never get the chance again. She looked so peaceful. He was glad she wasn't suffering anymore. He could still hear her voice from that night she'd had the seizure, calling his name questioningly, as if she was asking him why he'd broken his promise to her from so long ago, that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. That she'd always be safe with him. He recalled the terrified look in her eyes, practically begging him to make it all stop. And he couldn't. The monster in the closet had come out to get her. The creature under the bed had come to snatch her up. And he could do nothing but watch her get dragged away from him.

"I'm sorry, baby," he murmured to her, his eyes beginning to burn. He closed them for a moment, as the tears squeezed out and ran down his cheeks. "I failed you. I'm _so _sorry," he said, opening his eyes again to look at her. He rested his head against his fist, and set his elbow on the edge of where she lay. He lovingly arranged a couple of curls of her long hair with the other hand. They'd done it in ringlets, and it cascaded down the front of her shoulders, like the hair of one those porcelain dolls you'd see in a toy store window. It glistened in the bright overhead light from above, the rest of the room doused in soft, muted light as other people came and went, talking softly amongst themselves in hushed whispers. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head to look at who it was.

Marilynn Potts, Pepper's mother, had flown in a few days before to help with all of the arrangements. She'd been a huge source of support to him, as she'd been when Pepper died. But there were times when she'd excused herself from his presence, and he'd heard her crying, behind a closed door in the next room. "Can I get you anything, darlin?" she asked softly, in her comforting, motherly, southern drawl.

Tony shook his head numbly, bringing his gaze back to his daughter.

"She looks so beautiful," Marilynn mused softly. "Like a little princess."

"She _was _a little princess," Tony replied. "_My _little princess."

He stood up from the kneeling position he had been in, and rested his hands on the edge of the casket Marilynn had helped him to pick out. It was a light shade of rose, with gilded, silver detailing along all of the edges, with silver handles along the side. The inside was lined with a light pink satin. Ginny was dressed in a pink baby doll dress in almost the same shade. There was a pink ribbon tied in her hair, the bow sitting delicately on the top of her head, and they'd framed her face with her long red hair, her tiny hands resting, one over the other, on her stomach.

"So many people have come to pay their respects, Tony," she murmured to him. "It's always nice to know how much you're loved."

Tony smiled weakly in acknowledgement.

Marilynn looked at her granddaughter forlornly. "Such a shame," she said. "It's this damned curse we have on this family, taking another one away."

Tony turned his gaze to her and frowned. "Curse?" he asked, vaguely recalling her mentioning this to him at Pepper's funeral.

"The Potts curse, we call it. High blood pressure and weak veins. First it was Ginny's daddy, and her Uncle, then it was herself, and now it's our precious little girl, here," she said, patting her grand daughter's hand lovingly.

"High blood pressure in a seven year old?" Tony asked, frowning. "Can't say they said anything about _that_ in the hospital."

Marilynn shook her head. "I don't have the answers for that, honey," she said. "All I know is this is the youngest victim in our family so far. And I pray to God it doesn't take anymore of our babies! This is just too hard!" she said, her voice faltering as she began to weep. Tony pulled her into his arms and they hugged each other tightly as Marilynn cried on his shoulder.

Several moments passed before they broke their embrace. Marilynn pulled a tissue out of her sleeve and dabbed it under her eyes. Tony watched her, his face solemn, and his brow in a permanent frown. "The doctors said her condition was accelerated by the concussion she'd had," he explained. "But you know what I can't understand? If there was some kind of pre-existing condition, why didn't JARVIS detect a problem in the days leading up to the seizure?" He turned back to look again at Ginny. "I really had _no hope _of saving her. And I promised her I _would. _I told her, a long time ago, she'd always be safe, Marilynn. And I _failed _her. I..." Tony said, his voice giving out as his sorrow overcame him, and he began to sob. He covered his eyes with a hand and Marilynn wrapped an arm around his shoulders as they shook, rubbing his back and trying to comfort him.

"There, there, dear," she said. "You can't hold yourself responsible for this. That isn't fair to do to yourself." A few more moments passed, and Marilynn spoke again. "You know what has been a comfort to me in all of this?"

Tony raised his head to look at her, his eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot. He didn't speak. He just patiently awaited her answer.

"She's with her mama, again," she said, smiling softly. "Ginny hasn't got to hold her little girl in an awfully long time. And today, she finally _gets _to again!" she said, her voice in a reverent whisper, her eyes glassing over with fresh tears as she smiled kindly at her son-in-law.

Tony chuckled, despite his heart ache. He smiled a broken smile at her and nodded. "Yeah," he said in agreement. "I guess that _is _a comforting thing."

"You _bet _it is," she said. They both turned back toward the casket, and gazed at Ginny as she lied there, waiting to be laid to rest.


	11. Chapter 11

After Ginny had been laid to rest beside her mother in the place once again intended for Tony, and all of the mourners had left that day, Tony and H.A sat on the marble bench in the mausoleum in silence, the earth-shattering ache of their grief rendering them both speechless. Tony could do nothing but stare at the newly placed nameplate on the door of Ginny's crypt, which read _Virginia Maria "Ginny" Stark _in raised gold lettering. He had to keep reading it, over and over, to make himself believe that it was really her, lying there in that little pink casket for all of eternity.

"Dad?" he heard H.A. murmur. He'd rested his head against Tony's shoulder.

Tony just kept staring straight ahead glumly. But he acknowledged H.A. with an almost inaudible "Hmmm?"

H.A raised his head and flicked his eyes upward to his dad. "Am I next?" he asked, his eyes full of trepidation.

Tony frowned and turned his gaze to his son. "Next?" he said, cocking an eyebrow.

H.A nodded and shrugged. "It would only make sense," he said. "You know what Grandma says. It's a curse. You're probably safe. But not me. I'm..." the boy said, his voice warbling as tears began to fall.

Tony pulled his son into his arms and hugged him tight. "You're not going anywhere, H.A. Okay?" he said, stroking the boy's hair and laying his cheek on the top of his head.

H.A sobbed into his father's chest. "How do you know?" he asked tearfully.

"Because I just _do,_" Tony assured firmly, pulling back to look into his son's redden eyes. He put his hands on H.A.'s shoulders. "Listen to me, buddy. _Nothing _is going to happen to you, okay? I won't let it."

"You said the same thing to Ginny!" H.A argued. He choked out a sob, and Tony pulled him back to his chest, wrapping him in his arms once more. _He's not wrong!, _he thought hopelessly. And because of that, there was nothing he could say in response. All he could do was try to comfort his son as he cried, the sound of his soft sobbing reverberating in the empty room of the Stark mausoleum.

XxXxXxXxXx

It had been two months since the funeral, and Tony had settled into a routine of going through the motions of daily life for the sake of he and H.A, but spending most of the day at the mausoleum once he dropped H.A off at school. He knew it wouldn't change anything, and it didn't really make him feel better, either. But he felt like his heart was in limbo. The love of his life, and now his precious little girl, were gone forever. And he wondered how he'd ever move past this. The agony was so raw, and unrelenting, that it hurt to even breathe most of the time, which is why this was all he could bring himself to do each day, besides try to care for H.A the best he could.

Marilynn had stuck around for those first few weeks after the funeral. She'd filled the freezer with casseroles, and handled the daily housework. She helped H.A with his homework, and kept Tony company when he needed someone to talk to. And after she left, Rhodey stepped in, checking on them daily, and making sure Tony was eating and sleeping as regularly as possible. Tony was immensely grateful for the both of them. For without them, he'd would have retreated into himself, and jump started some very old, very bad habits just trying to self-medicate and make the pain stop. Pepper had seen to it to do away with all hard liquor in the house once she found out she was pregnant with H.A. And Tony had honored that decision since then, even though there were times, like this, that he'd have killed for a drink.

Another night had fallen, and Tony tucked H.A into bed. They hadn't really talked much since that day at the mausoleum. It was mostly in passing, and always small talk. It wasn't what Tony preferred, but he knew that talking about Ginny's death would only exacerbate H.A's concern for his own well being. So, he let H.A. talk to him as he saw fit. He knew living each day in perfect health would be the only thing to prove to his son that he wasn't going to die like his sister had. Ginny's freak accident had accelerated her condition. The doctors had confirmed that to him. And as long as H.A. didn't experience any brain trauma, he knew he'd stand a good chance of living a long life.

"Good night, buddy," Tony said, as he sat on the edge of the bed. He ruffled the boy's hair, and kissed his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too, dad," H.A replied bashfully.

Tony stood up to leave, but hesitated for a moment. It was true that he didn't want to dredge up H.A's fears, but it had also been a while since they'd checked in with each other. They needed to bring their relationship back to center.

"Uh, H.A?" he asked.

"Yeah, dad?"

Tony pursed his lips, and slowly sat back down on the bed. "How are you doing, son?" he asked.

H.A. stared at his father for a few short moments, and then slowly shrugged. "Fine, I guess," he replied.

"Really?" Tony asked. "You're...you're doing okay? After all of..." he motioned around them. "All of _this," _he asked.

H.A. nodded. "I try not to think about it a lot. Just like when mom died. I guess that's why I haven't talked to you much," he admitted.

Tony smiled and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I've noticed," he said. He then furrowed his brow. "Are you still scared?" he asked softly.

H.A. searched his dad's eyes for a moment before he spoke. Then he shook his head slowly.

Tony smiled. "Good," he said approvingly. "There's no reason for you to be."

"I know, dad," H.A. said.

Tony patted H.A's leg. "Well, then," he said with satisfaction, standing up again. "Sleep tight, huh?"

"I will," H.A replied.

Tony smiled again at his son, and flicked off the light. "Good night," he said finally, before closing the door.

H.A. waved goodbye, but stayed sitting up in bed, his face contorting as tears filled his eyes. He'd lied. He had to. He knew his dad was still very much in pain, so how could he bring himself to put more hurt on him right now? But the truth was, he _was _scared. _Very _scared. And with good reason. It had started just a few weeks ago, after his Grandma Marilynn had left. And now, the pain in his head was getting increasingly worse and was lasting longer and longer with each bout. At this rate, he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to hide it from his father before he'd have to tell him the truth.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony closed H.A's door, and walked down the hall. He paused in front of Ginny's bedroom door, which had been closed since the night of her seizure. He hadn't been able to bring himself to go in there since she died. Each time he passed by it, a fresh, icy stab of hurt pierced him, and it always stopped him in his tracks. He turned his head and looked at it for a moment. He worked his jaw in thought before resolving that he couldn't hide from this room forever. So he slowly opened the door. The light from the hallway flooded the room, so he didn't bother to flip on the light switch, but instead briskly walked inside and sat on the bed heavily, before he could change his mind. The room smelled like her, and he could swear she was standing in there with him. His chest began to heave, and Tony slammed his eyes shut. He slowly leaned forward and put his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees, as his eyes filled with tears and he began to softly sob.

He suddenly felt the harsh heaviness of his grief. It felt like a lead weight had been hung around his neck, and it had become so burdensome that exhaustion filled his bones and muscles with a thick, black pitch, making every movement take monumental effort. He slowly listed to the side, laying down on the bed, and curling up into a protective ball, tucking his hands under his arms and closing his eyes, as he laid his head on his daughter's pillow. He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, taking in the scent of it. "I miss you _so _much, baby girl," he whispered in the darkness.

His weary mind started to drift, and his breathing settled back down as he began to lightly doze. Ginny's pillow was replaced, in his mind, by her lap, and he could almost feel her little fingers running lovingly through his hair.

"I miss you, too, daddy," he could hear her say. "Please don't be sad."

"I'm trying, baby," he muttered sleepily. "But it's so hard."

He continued to drift off to sleep, comforted only by the feeling of Ginny's presence there with him.

XxXxXxXxXx

Some time later, Tony slowly opened his eyes to the sound of his little girl's laughter. He furrowed his brow in confusion and sat up to see she was happily skipping and playing in the room around him. The room was still dark, but she was aglow in white shimmering light, her red ringlet curls bouncing as she played. She wore the pink baby doll dress he'd laid her to rest in, with the matching ribbon in her hair. She looked as lively as she ever had, and had that same mischievous sparkle in her eye he'd always admired. Tony's heart leapt at the sight, his mind thinking that her passing away had all been a bad dream, and she really was here with him, alive and well again. "Ginny?" he said hopefully.

"Come with me, daddy! Come play with me!" she cried, though her lips didn't move. Just like it had happened with his visions of Pepper, he could only hear her voice in his head.

Tony stood up off the bed, and he felt Ginny grasp his hand. She pulled him out of the room, and down the hall. "Where are we going, honey?" he asked her.

She didn't reply, but Tony happily let her lead him by the hand anyway, smiling to himself at how wonderful it felt to actually be holding her hand again. She led him into his bedroom, and when he saw what Ginny had brought him in there to see, he stopped in his tracks, wide eyed in disbelief.

Pepper was there awaiting him, bathed in the same white light, and in the same white sparkling dress as before. She smiled kindly at him as she opened her arms to her daughter. Ginny let go of her father's hand, and ran to her mother. Tony noticed that Pepper no longer looked pregnant, as she had previously. He wondered why this had changed.

"I did it, mommy! I did it!" Ginny cried.

Tony just stared, shaking his head. "Why?" he asked hopelessly. "Why are you doing this to me, Pep? I...I don't understand..."

Her expression became very serious, and her lips turned down in a slight frown. "Save her, Tony," she said, again her mouth not moving but her voice echoing in his mind.

Tony chuckled bitterly. "Save _who, _Pepper?! Ginny?!" he asked exasperatedly. "And what am I supposed to do? She's _gone, _honey! _You're_ gone, and _she's_ gone, and I'm...I'm..." he said, stopping short as his throat closed up with bitter emotion. "_Please, _Pepper," he begged in whisper. "I can't take this anymore."

Pepper just stared at him for a few moments. Then she left Ginny where she was standing, and walked to Tony calmly, her footfalls silent. He watched as she moved to grasp his hands in both of hers. He swallowed hard as he felt her touch again. He inhaled sharply, and pursed his lips, trying to fight losing his composure.

"Tony," she said. "Save _him."_

"Now it's _him_?" he asked. Then it dawned on him. "Who?" he asked. "H.A? Is...is _that _who you mean?" he begged. He searched her face for answers, but Pepper slowly began to fade away yet again.

"No," Tony said. "Pepper, please! Just tell me! Is it H.A? Is he going to die, too?"he asked desperately.

"Save him, Tony," is all he could hear before Pepper and Ginny both had faded from sight.


	12. Chapter 12

Tony stumbled over to the bed, and sat down heavily on the edge. He shook his head in disbelief that now, not only was Pepper appearing to him, but also Ginny. He swiped at some tears spilling over onto his cheeks, and took a deep breath. "I can't do this. What does she want me to do? I can't bring people back from the dead! It's impossible. This is ridiculous!" he chattered. He began to rock anxiously back and forth, still shaking his head. "That's it! I'm losing my mind. There's no way that just happened. Nope. Didn't happen. You're finally starting to crack, Stark! Pepper always said you would, and look! You have."

He suddenly stood up and began to pace nervously. "This has to stop. I can't keep doing this!" he cried. He shook his head again, and smiled in astonishment. "He was right! Rhodey was right. I should have done it a long time ago!" he admitted.

He marched directly to the box of Pepper's clothes that he had started to fill the night Ginny had her seizure, and hoisted it up into his arms. "J? Crank up the fire place, wouldja'?" he ordered.

"Sir, burning the contents of that box in the fireplace would be quite dangerous," the AI warned. "It was never designed to burn..."

"I _know _what it was designed for, JARVIS!" Tony scolded, marching out of the bedroom and down the stairs, the box of clothes in hand. "Just do it!"

"Sir, a house fire is _certain_," JARVIS implored Tony.

"Got it!" Tony barked. "But this stuff has to go tonight, J!"

"Might I suggest a call to a local Goodwill instead?" JARVIS offered.

"Nope!" Tony argued, as he stepped into the living room. "Not quick enough. I need this stuff out of here. I need..." Suddenly, Tony stopped as something jossled out of the box and landed with a loud _slap _on the floor. He stopped in his tracks and looked in the direction of the noise with a frown. It was the leather-bound diary he'd found in the box of his mother's belongings that was in his closet. He set the box down where he stood, and picked up the diary, looking at it curiously. "I can't believe I forgot about this," he muttered in astonishment.

Despite his protests, JARVIS had obeyed Tony's request and cranked the gas on the fireplace. The flames were roaring, and Tony noticed this as he made his way to the couch, his mother's diary in his hand.

"Cut the gas, J," Tony said.

"Thank the heavens," JARVIS replied, and immediately turned off the fireplace while bringing up the lights to the living room.

Tony sat down on the couch, and began to read through the pages. It was hand-written by his mother in Italian, and Tony's Italian was a little rusty. But from what he could tell, the entries began not long after they were married in the mid-fifties. She'd described the late nights that Howard spent working, and how many dinners she'd eaten alone at the dining room table. Tony could feel the loneliness in her words, and his heart went out to her. There was a good fifteen years between their wedding and his birth, and he suddenly wondered if maybe he was the product of her desperation to not have to be lonely any more.

His mother doted on him from day one. They were very close when he was growing up, and her death had hit him hard. Certainly harder than his father's had. As he read her diary entries, he started to be able to hear his mother's voice in his head, a recollection he'd long since packed away in the deep recesses of his mind, and it was a comfort to him. A welcome respite from the constant heartache he'd felt for so long.

One entry in particular suddenly caught Tony's attention. It read:

_" _Il 27 settembre 1956_ (**September 27th, 1956**)_

Caro Diario,_ (**Dear Diary**,)_

Howard è tornato a casa questa sera più entusiasti che ho visto in un lungo periodo di tempo. _**(Howard came home tonight more excited than I've seen him in a long time.)**_ C'è un nuovo progetto che sta per iniziare il lavoro, e mi è stato detto che sarà mantenuto Top Secret per ora, come il potenziale di essere abusato è molto elevata._**(There is a new project that he is going to start working on, and I've been told it will be kept Top Secret for now, as the potential for it to be abused is very high.)**_ Howard mi dice che implica la possibilità di viaggiare nei nostri passati o futuri. _(_**_Howard tells me it involves being able to travel into our pasts and our futures.)_ **Come non posso spiegare, ma sembra aver capito come fare in modo che lavorare. (_**How, I can't really explain, but he seems to think he's figured out how to possibly make it work.)**_ Se egli non figura, significherebbe un enorme cambiamento nel genere umano così come lo conosciamo.**_(If he does figure this out, it would mean a huge change in human kind as we know it.)_** Le persone potrebbero tornare indietro e modificare gli errori del passato, vecchia torti, e rammarico sarebbe una cosa del passato. _** (People could go back and change past mistakes, right old wrongs, and regret would be a thing of the past.)** _Come eccitante! Eppure, anche un po' paura! Mi chiedo cosa Howard potrebbe cambiare, se si potesse tornare al suo passato? _**(How exciting! And yet, it's also a little frightening! I wonder what Howard would change, if he could go back to his past?)"**_

Tony stopped reading and furrowed his brow. "_Time _travel? Was he _serious?" _he muttered. He never thought in a million years his father would even entertain the notion. The Howard Stark he knew would have thought this was a pie in the sky idea, totally impractical and a waste of time when he could be working on something to improve the here and now. But, as Tony thought about it, his father, in his younger days, was quite daring and thumbed his nose at conventional wisdom. This was a genetic trait, Tony supposed, smiling to himself about how much he and his dad were alike when they were younger. He could see that now, and appreciate it. But back then, all he wanted was to set himself apart from his father. Now, he realized they couldn't have been more alike.

Tony brought his eyes back to the page to finish reading the entry.

"...Domani, un chimico svizzero, Dr. Phillippe Guierre, credo che il suo nome, sarà in volo per soddisfare con Howard. (**_Tomorrow, a swiss scientist, Dr. Phillippe Guierre, I believe his name is, will be flying in to meet with Howard.) _**Ha collaborato con il medico di lavorare a questo progetto. (**_He's been partnered with the doctor to work on this project.) _**Da quello che ho sentito, il Dottor Guierre è uno dei migliori fisici, e Howard è sulla luna per ottenere la possibilità di lavorare con quest'uomo. (**_ From what I hear, Dr. Guierre is one of the world's top physicists, and Howard is over the moon about getting the chance to work with this man.)_**Vuole avere su di lui per la cena il più presto possibile. Trovare divertente. (**_He wants to have him over for dinner as soon as possible. It find that funny.) _**La maggior parte delle notti, I pasti da soli. Ma una notte mio marito verrà a casa per unirsi a me, ci sarà anche una cena ospite! _(_**_Most nights, I dine alone. But the one night my husband will be home to join me, we'll also have a dinner guest! )_** Immagino che devo prendere quello che posso ottenere. SAPEVO quando ho sposato Howard che il suo lavoro è venuto prima. Non credo che mi piacerebbe essere distante un secondo! **_(I guess I have to take what I can get. I knew when I married Howard that his work came first. I just didn't think I'd be a distant second!)_**"

Tony set the diary down beside him, and rubbed his eyes. He worked his jaw in thought, his brow furrowed. _If dad didn't think he could do it, he wouldn't have accepted the project, _he thought. Another similarity between father and son, their massive egos, didn't allow for them to waste their time on projects they knew didn't have an acceptable probability of success. The less embarrassment of failure, the better. Which led Tony to believe that his dad had actually made some progress on this. But how would he ever know? He'd never come across any of his father's notes regarding this experiment, and God only knew where Dr. Guierre was these days, assuming he was still alive.

Something had to have happened to cause this partnership to break up, and for the project to be shelved. He tried to think back, but just couldn't recall ever hearing about this experiment, oddly. His father liked to talk about his work, and really nothing but his work, when he was home. Nothing else was more important, as his mother had also expressed. So why was this the first he'd heard of it?

All he knew was, he was meant to rediscover this diary. Could this be what Pepper was trying to tell him? That he needed to finish his dad's work, and go back in time to somehow save her and Ginny? And what would he do once he got there? Wasn't this condition they'd both died of supposed to be genetic?

Tony frowned and shrugged. He didn't have all of the answers, clearly. But first thing was first. If there was any way to locate Dr. Guierre just to see if there was ever a fighting chance of completing his dad's experiment, he owed it to his wife and daughter to try.

Tony looked skyward. "Hey J? You up?" he asked.

"For you, sir, always," the Ai responded.

"See what you can track down about a Dr. Phillippe Guierre? He worked with my father in the fifties on a time travel experiment. You might start with Switzerland."


	13. Chapter 13

_The white linoleum floor gleamed from the bright florescent lights above, and he tried not to stare at the glare for too long, though it was hard not to. He kicked his feet, swinging his legs back and forth, the chair just slightly taller than his legs were long. He'd been allowed by his mother to bring his favorite stuffed animal, a grey long-eared rabbit in a navy blue velvet jacket named Mr. Vincenzo, with him today, so he fiddled with the tattered rabbit's ears as he waited for his name to be called. His mother had given him the rabbit when he was born, and he'd had it ever since. She was pleased that he loved it as much as she had when she was a girl. Mr. Vincenzo was quite the world traveler. He'd come all the way from Italy in his mother's suitcase when she'd married his father and moved to America, and now he called New York City home. And he thought New York was very exciting. At least, that's what Tony liked to think. Only because HE thought New York was exciting, too. And it was fun to imagine sharing adventures together in the big city. _

_'Mama? When are they going to call me? We've been here for forever," Tony complained. _

_His mother raised her hand, and ruffled the boy's thick dark hair lovingly. "Not long now, dolce mio. Patience," she said. _

_Tony frowned. He just wanted to get this over with. He'd been dreading this day for a week, and now that it was here, it seemed time was standing still. He wandered if this was part of the experiment- to drive the subject insane by making them wait for extended periods of time so that their imagination could run wild with ideas about whatever tortures awaited them beyond the exam room door. But just then, a woman in a grey wool business suit holding a clipboard, opened the door that was just across the hallway from the chairs they'd been sitting on. _

_"Mrs. Stark? We're ready for Anthony now," she informed his mother. Maria nodded, and inhaled nervously as she stood her son in front of her. "You be a good boy, eh? Do as your father says, and don't be afraid," she instructed him, though he could tell she was probably as nervous as he was._

_"Come with me, mama. Please?" he begged. The butterflies in his stomach made his hand shake as he held it out to her, trying to persuade her to take it and come in the exam room with him. _

_Maria Stark gave her son a weak smile, and shook her head. "You go, Anthony. I'll be right here, waiting for you, okay?" she said, trying to sound brave. _

_The woman in the suit came up behind Tony, and put her hands on his shoulders. "Well take good care of your boy, Mrs. Stark," she assured. Tony looked up at her, and the woman smiled down at him. But he didn't like her smile. Her eyes seemed to stay cold and calculating to him, so that her lips were parted and her smile seemed to be forced and almost animorphically distorted. He looked back at his mother, the worry increasing to alarm now. "No, mama!" he begged. "Don't make me go! I don't wanna go! Please?" _

_Just then, the door that the woman had come out of opened, and out stepped Howard Stark, a look of stern consternation on his face. _

_"What seems to be the trouble out here?" he demanded. _

_Tony's head swiveled behind them to look at his father. His eyes met his father's gaze, and he swallowed hard. "N-nothing, Sir," he answered. _

_"You bet 'nothing'," Howard replied. "Maria? Is this how our son behaves in public?" _

_Tony looked back at his mother, as she was lost for words. The last thing he wanted to be was in trouble right now. It would only compound his fear of going in that room. Since his father had told him about what he'd been working on, and that Tony was the perfect candidate for the experiment, he could only imagine some sort of medieval dungeon where he'd be strung up and tortured mercilessly, never to see his mother, or his room, or any of his other stuffed animals again. _

_His mother stammered. "Please, Howard. He's frightened," she explained. _

_"Frightened? What in hell for? Tony, come here," his father commanded. _

_Tony did as instructed, braking away from the woman with the clipboard to go to his father. Howard clapped his hands on his son's shoulders, crouched down to the boy's level and looked him in the eye. "Now we've talked about this, haven't we?" Howard asked him. _

_Tony stayed silent, but nodded in agreement, his hands gripping Mr. Vincenzo tightly to keep from shaking. _

_"And I've explained in great detail what my intentions are, correct?" Howard asked. _

_Again, Tony nodded silently. _

_"Okay, then," Howard said. "I won't have you acting afraid for no reason. This will all be over quickly, and you and your mother can go home." _

_Howard stood back up, and grasped his son's hand. "Now, then, let's get you onto the examination table, shall we?" he asked, as he led Tony through the door. Tony looked back once more quickly to see his mother. Her face was still very concerned, her eyes fixed on him before the exam room door shut with a loud BANG._

_"Now," Howard said, leading his son into the darkened exam room, where in the middle of the room, the only light was coming from an over head lamp, shining down on a stainless steel examination table. "Climb up there, and we'll get you strapped in."_

_Tony felt his father let go of his hand. He glanced up at him, and then back at the table with trepidation. Slowly, he walked over to the table, and laid down, clutching Mr. Vincenzo tightly in his arms. His father chuckled. "Oh, no, Mr. Rabbit, here, needs to wait outside," he said. He grabbed the rabbit from his son, and Tony whimpered when he did it. _

_"Mr. Vincenzo!" Tony said. _

_"Don't worry, my boy! Your mother can hold him until we're finished," he said, trying to sound upbeat for his son. He handed the rabbit to the woman in the wool suit, and she nodded as she left the room with the stuffed animal. A tear leaked out of Tony's eye as he watched her go, and he began to tremble. _

_He looked straight up at the light, and tried to focus on it, but his father's silhouette blocked the view. "Try to relax, Tony," he said, cinching straps over his son's body. One went across his chest, over his stomach, over his hips, his knees, and a final one over his shins. Then, he began attaching nodes to his son's forehead face and neck, and Tony flinched, his body now hypersensitive to any foreign sensations. "These will measure your brain waves, your pulse, and your respiration. Try to breath normally, and stay calm. This will all be over soon."  
_

_He felt someone grab his right arm, and turn it over underneath the straps. He felt them push up is sleeve. He glanced at who it was, and a nurse with a surgical mask was there. He could only see her eyes, and it occurred to him her eyes weren't smiling either. He felt a pinch in the crook of his arm, and he inhaled sharply, as this was the only thing he could do given he was strapped tightly down. "Ow!" he whined. "What's happening? Dad? What are they doing?" he asked in alarm._

_Howard chuckled and smiled at his son. "There, there, Tony. It's just a simple blood draw. Nothing to be alarmed about." _

_"Blood? Why do they need my...," he started to say, but Tony suddenly found he couldn't finish the sentence. His mouth quit responding to what his brain was telling it to do, and his eyelids were now feeling extremely heavy. _

_"Da- dad?" he mumbled, as he drifted off to sleep._

_XxXxXxXxXx_

Tony awoke with a start, jolting upright from being bent over, asleep at his desk. "Guh! What the hell?!" he blurted out, squinting in the bright lights of the shop. He was breathing heavily, and he took a few deep breaths to try to calm down. He shook his head, frowning, trying to clear his head, but the images of his dream had seeped into his bones. He swore he could still feel the needle in his arm, and he had to look down to make sure it wasn't still stuck in there. He rubbed the spot where the nurse had stuck him in his dream, and looked around. The loneliness of that exam room was slowly drifting away, and he felt grateful that the familiarity of the shop was taking its place. He'd gone downstairs once JARVIS had begun looking for Dr. Guierre's whereabouts, and he now figured he'd grown drowsy and fallen asleep waiting.

"Where the hell did _that _come from?" he murmured to himself. It had all seemed so real, and he had the strangest sense of deja vu, yet he had no recollection of ever being part of one of his father's experiments as a child. And certainly, he'd never come across anything eluding to the fact that he _had_ been in all of the notes he'd found in his father's personal effects over the years. Surely, his mother would never have allowed it. The look on her face as he'd been led away from her in his dream sent chills up his spine even still.

"JARVIS, any luck?" he called out, resolving get his mind off the dream and back on task.

"No exact matches in western Europe, Sir. Perhaps, though, Dr. Guierre has adopted some type of alias?" the AI suggested.

Tony shrugged and nodded. "It's a possibility, J," he agreed. "But where would we even begin to look?"

"I would suggest relatives, Sir? I could pull archived SHIELD records, if you like. They may make mention of spouse's and children's names?" JARVIS offered.

"Do it," Tony instructed. "I've gotta find this guy."

JARVIS went to back to work, and Tony decided to go upstairs to check on H.A. The images from the dream, and the sense of loneliness he'd felt from them was still wearing off, and he wanted to have a look at his son, if for no other reason than to make himself feel better.

He quietly crept upstairs, the whole house dark and silent. Tony reached the top of the stairs, and slowly opened H.A.'s door. The boy was sound asleep, but would let out a soft whimper every few seconds. Tony frowned and listened. It happened several more times, so Tony stepped inside, and made his way to the edge of the bed. "H.A?" Tony whispered. "Hey, buddy? You okay?"

H.A. slow awakened. "Dad?" he asked sleepily, raising up on his elbows, and squinting at his father in the darkness.

"Yeah, H.A. It's me. You were whimpering in your sleep," Tony said.

"I was?" H.A. asked.

"Yeah," Tony replied. "You alright?"

The boy nodded. "I'm fine dad," he assured his father.

"O-kay," Tony said skeptically. "You'd tell me if you weren't, right?"

"Yeah, dad. Just...go back to bed. I'm fine. Okay?" H.A. assured.

Tony bent forward and kissed his son's forehead, noticing the dampness of sweat on it. "You're sweating. You don't feel sick or anything, do you?" Tony asked cautiously.

"Dad, I'm fine! I was just having a crazy dream. That's _all," _H.A. replied.

"Must be the night for it," Tony muttered. "Okay, buddy. I'll leave you alone. But tell me if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah, dad. Goodnight," H.A. said, waving his dad off, and rolling back over in his bed.

Tony went to leave the room, pulling the door closed behind him. But he hesitated for a moment, watching as H.A. went back to sleep. He listened for more whimpering, but this time, just the soft sounds of H.A.'s quiet dozing was all he heard. He shrugged and shook his head. "Must have been a crazy dream," he muttered to himself, as he closed the boy's door again, and jogged back downstairs.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! I know it's been a while since I updated this one, so I appreciate your patience! I hope you guys are still enjoying this fic! I love all of your reviews and feedback, and I appreciate your continued loyalty! Thank you so much! And Happy Reading! :D**

The next morning, Tony and H.A. went about their routine in virtual silence, as they had most days since Ginny's funeral. Tony watched his son intently as they moved about the kitchen, gathering their breakfasts together, and sitting down at the counter to eat.

"_What, _dad?" H.A. finally said, with an air of annoyance. "Why do you keep staring at me?"

"_Am _I staring?" Tony asked, truly not realizing what he'd been doing.

"Like you're waiting for me to explode or something," the boy replied.

Tony chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, buddy, I just...you sure you're feeling alright?" he asked his son, having noticed dark circles forming under his son's eyes. He'd also noticed that H.A.'s cheeks had become gaunt and his normally olive-toned skin had a distinct pallor that hadn't before there before. Granted, these last few weeks since Ginny's death had been extremely stressful, and he was sure he was looking a little worse for the wear, too.

"Will you stop asking me that? I _told _you. I'm _fine,_" H.A. insisted now in a huff. He got up hurriedly from the counter, and tromped to the sink to rinse his cereal bowl. He plunked it in the dishwasher and swiveled around on his heel, quickly marching back out of the kitchen. On his way past his father, he was stopped with a gentle hand around his upper arm.

"H.A., stop for a second," Tony said, looking at his son with eyes pleading. H.A. flicked his eyes to his father's, and couldn't help but soften his demeanor in response. His dad looked worn out, and his usual playful spark had been snuffed out by the valley of shadow they'd both found themselves in once again with Ginny's death. Everything H.A. been feeling was reflected back to him in his father's expression at that moment, and it made him wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. But he hated the idea of being this vulnerable to his father and the rest of the world, so he just furrowed his brow once more and gritted his teeth again instead.

"You know I'm only asking because I care, right?" Tony asked.

H.A. nodded, but stayed silent.

"_And _because I want to make sure you're feeling alright. You _are _aren't you?" Tony asked, with a little trepidation. "I'm just trying to take care of you, son. You're all I have left, now."

H.A. averted his eyes to avoid making eye contact with his father, and losing his composure. "I'm fine, dad," H.A. said softly.

Tony smiled warmly. "Good," he said, standing up, and pulling his son to his chest. "Good. I'm glad," he said. He wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him tight. He kissed the top of his head before he let him go. H.A. smiled weakly at him.

"It's been a rough one, huh?" Tony said, putting his hands on H.A's upper arms.

"Yeah," H.A. said. "I kind of...don't wanna be here right now, you know?" he revealed, shrugging.

Tony nodded, studying his son's face. "I know what you mean," he said softly.

"It's like...I keep expecting Ginny to run into my room, like she always did, to bug me," he explained. They both chuckled at the memory. "But then I have to remind myself that she's not going to," H.A continued. "She's _never _going to. Not anymore."

Tony nodded, and worked his jaw in thought for a moment before replying. "What say you to maybe...getting outta town for a while? Your grandma offered to have us out to her place. Maybe a trip to the farm is just what we need, huh?" he offered.

H.A. shrugged. "Maybe so, dad," he replied.

Tony patted H.A's shoulders. "Then it's settled. We'll leave Friday, and fly out for the weekend. I'll call her today and let her know we're coming," he said.

H.A. smiled and nodded. "Sounds good," he said.

"It _does, _doesn't it? A little good old fashioned cooking, and some fresh air will probably do us both some good," Tony said, as they turned to leave the kitchen and head out the front door, so H.A. could be dropped off at school.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Well, _there _are my handsome boys! Aren't you two just a pair to beat a full house! Come'ere! Lemme get a look at cha'!" Marilynn Potts cooed loudly in her thick Missouri accent, with her arms opened wide, standing on the front porch of her two story, white-washed farm house in rural Kansas. She'd posted herself there the moment Tony and H.A had arrived in her drive way that next Friday evening, and was absolutely beaming at their presence.

This was the home that Marilynn and Pepper's father had made together when they'd got married, and he'd moved her from Missouri to Two Rivers, Kansas. And it was the home that Pepper had grown up in. She'd always been proud of it, and was happy to share it with Tony when they'd become a couple. He never dreamed he'd like life in the country, but it had quickly grown on him from the first time Pepper had brought him here. And ever since, it had been a little piece of paradise for him to retreat to when the real world got to be too much to handle. He'd even spent a few weeks here right after losing Pepper, and he'd never forgotten how grateful he'd felt to had somewhere to go to help heal his broken heart, and his broken family. Something about its warmth and simple country charm helped him to put life back in perspective, and to know that he was going to make it through the heartache, and be able to be the kind of father his kids needed him to be. Of course, it helped immensely that Marilynn was a very doting mother and grandmother, and loved nothing more than to take good care of her house guests with some good old southern hospitality. You could always count on being supplied with an abundance of stick-to-your-ribs meals, a soft bed to sleep in complete with plenty of warm quilts and afghans, a warm fire in the fireplace in the winter time with a cup of hot cocoa in your hand, or a breeze to cool you in the summer time as you swung on the porch swing with a glass of sweet tea and listened to the wind rustle the leaves on the trees, and all the fresh air you could handle while you were there.

H.A. chuckled and stepped into his grandmother's arms as he made his way up her steps. "Mmmmmm _mmmmm!_ I'm so glad you're here," she told her grandson, her eyes alight with grandmotherly love as she squeezed him tightly. She stepped back and squeezed his upper arms, and then ruffled his thick dark hair. "My _Lord. _You are getting more and more handsome by the day, sweetie!" she said. "I bet you have _all _the girls following you around at school, don't you?"

"He _does,_" Tony quipped, as he stepped up onto the porch. "He might take after his dad on that. But he's got Pepper's humility, so he won't admit it," he teased, playfully elbowing his son.

H.A. blushed and looked away, smiling bashfully, and both Marilynn and Tony chuckled.

"And how about _you, _Mr. Tony?" she said, pulling him to her, and hugging him next. She squeezed him tightly as well, and then pulled back and cupped his cheek with one hand. "You're too thin," she said, patting his cheek. "You need some sleep, and some home cookin'. That's how we fix that," she explained.

Tony smiled. "I knew I could count on you, Marilynn," he assured her.

She nodded. "That's right. And you stay for as long as you need to, honey. I told you that on the phone," she said. She wrapped her arms around both Tony and H.A.'s shoulders, and looked at them. "I'm just so happy to have my two fellas here! I can't _tell_ you how happy I was to hear you were coming to visit!"

Tony and H.A. looked at each other and grinned at her giddiness, their emotional load already being lifted and the sparkle returning to their eyes by being in her presence.

"_Now!"_ Marilynn said, clapping her hands jovially. "Let's get you two settled in and we'll eat! Ya'll must be starving!" she cried, turning around to lead them into the house.

As they entered behind her, they couldn't help but inhale deeply. The intoxicating aroma of homemade pot roast and fresh baked bread wafted through the air, instantly delighting them. "You boys go put your things upstairs, and wash up, and I'll get supper on the table," she instructed. They watched her bustle into the kitchen, and they both looked at each other with broad grins.

"You heard the lady," Tony teased his son, nodding toward the front door. H.A just shook his head and smiled, as Tony held it open for him, and then followed him out to their rental car to retrieve their luggage.

They quickly gathered their things, and marched up the creeky wooden staircase to the bedrooms on the second floor. H.A. took Pepper's sister's old room, and Tony took Pepper's room. He set his suitcase down in the closet and slowly closed the bedroom door, leaning against it and looking around the room silently. A soft smile graced his lips as his eyes settled on a familiar photograph of Pepper from her senior year in high school. It was sitting on top of her dresser in a gold frame, and he'd seen it many times before. But this time, it warmed his heart especially. He raised back up to a standing position again, and walked over to it. He picked up the frame, and looked at it lovingly, admiring the glow of her skin and her warm smile, which made her bright blue eyes sparkle. "Hey, there, gorgeous," he whispered. He lightly smoothed his fingers over the glass, and then raised the picture to his lip to kiss it gently. He looked at it one more time before setting it back down. "So beautiful," he murmured to himself.

Just then, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" he said, turning around to see who it was.

The door opened, and H.A. appeared. "Grandma says dinner's on the table now, whenever you're ready to eat," he said.

Tony smirked and chuckled, cocking an eyebrow. "Oh, I was ready _yesterday,_" he joked.

H.A's eyes glanced at the picture on the dresser. "Is that _mom?" _he asked, coming in the room, and pointing at the photo.

Tony turned around and then nodded at H.A. "Sure is," he said proudly, picking it up once more.

"Wow," H.A said, as they looked at it together, both smiling at it lovingly. "I guess I don't remember ever seeing this picture," H.A. said. "Have you seen it before, Dad?"

Tony nodded and smiled fondly. "Yep. It's one of my favorites," he said. "Wasn't she beautiful?" he asked, shifting his gaze to his son and then back again to the photo.

"She was _really_ pretty," H.A replied, keeping his eyes on his mother. "I forgot that she and Ginny had the same eyes."

"Yeah, they did," Tony said wistfully. He bit his lips together, and put the photo back on the dresser gingerly. "My two beautiful, blue eyed girls," he murmured lovingly. He glanced away, not wanting H.A. to notice the tears welling up in his eyes. He blinked them back and sniffed loudly, and then gave H.A an impish smile. He clapped his arm around his son's shoulders and squeezed him jovially. "So, soup's on, you say?" he asked.

H.A. nodded in reply.

"_Really?_" Tony purred. "Well, too bad I'm gonna beat you down there!" he said, suddenly darting for the door, and slamming it before H.A could make it through. Tony had already made it to the top of stairs by the time H.A had swung it back open, and he bolted down the hall to catch up, but Tony blocked his way as they both bounded noisily down the steps, with Tony staying in the lead. H.A. made it to the last step just behind his father, and Tony grabbed him around the neck, roughly ruffling the boy's hair.

"See? Told ja' I'd beat ya' down here," he bragged.

H.A. just laughed at his dad's antics. Tony let him go and they gave each other goofy grins.

Just then Marilynn appeared in the door way of the living room, with a white dishtowel in her hands. "Enough acting like a pack of wild elephants, you two. Get your ba-hookies in here, and eat! This pot roast isn't gonna eat itself!" she ordered, grinning.

"Yes, ma'am," Tony said, grinning back at her and giving her a salute. Marilynn laughed, shaking her head, and dismissed Tony's teasing her with a wave of her hand as she marched back in the kitchen. He spun back around to face his son. "Come on. Your grandmother says you need to eat," he said, pulling his son to him with an arm around his shoulder as they started for the kitchen. "You _and _your ba-hookie, that _is_."


	15. Chapter 15

The three of them sat down at Marilynn's kitchen table, and proceeded to eat to their heart's content. Marilynn asked H.A about what he was doing in school, and what he and his dad's plans were for the summer. She was delighted that her grandson was willing to carry on a conversation with her, and she could tell he was trying his best to be upbeat. But her heart went out to him, knowing the pain of losing two people so close to him, and in such a short amount of time, must have taken its toll.

When dinner was over, H.A asked to be excused. "Do you mind if I go out to see the horses?" he asked.

"Not at all, darlin'!" she cooed lovingly. "In fact, you can give them their bucket of oats if you'd like. I've been so busy that I haven't gone out to give them their treat today, and they're probably sore at me for it!"

H.A. smiled and agreed to do it, and Tony and Marilynn watched him walk out the front door and head for the stables.

"Such a dear boy," she said fondly. "He's really coming up nicely, Tony. You should be proud."

"I _am,_" Tony said, smiling lovingly at her. "He reminds me so much of me at that age, sometimes. But he's got Pepper's level headed-ness. So I never have to worry he's gonna do something stupid, or blow something up," he joked, chuckling. Marilynn chuckled along with him.

Tony watched out the window to see that H.A had disappeared into the barn, and then turned his attention back to his mother-in-law. "Dinner was _fantastic_," he said. "I've been looking forward to your cooking all week. And pot roast is one of my favorites on the menu at Casa de Potts, I have to say."

"I _know, _honey," Marilynn said. "That's why I made it."

Tony smiled and bowed his head in appreciation. "Well, thank you," he said humbly, smiling. "Here. Let me help with the dishes," he said, getting up out of his seat, as Marilynn began to stack their plates. He grabbed some of the other items on the table, and set them near the sink.

"Thank you kindly, Sir. Just set it all on the counter and we'll make quick work of it yet," she instructed. Tony did as he was told, bringing the rest of what was left on the table over to her. She began putting away the leftovers, though there wasn't much left after she'd fed her two hungry boys, and then she deposited the dishes into the sink filled with hot soapy water. Once the food had been stored in the fridge, she handed Tony a dish towel. "I'll wash, you dry?" she offered. He grinned and took the dish towel from her, tossing it to lay over his shoulder until it was needed. He folded his arms, and leaned against the counter as she began to wash the dishes, and rinse them. He took the first item from her, a blue glass bowl, whipping the towel back over his shoulder to dry it off.

"I always got assigned to the drying with Pepper, too," he mused, smiling fondly.

Marilynn smiled at his comment as she worked. "Just like her daddy and I," she said fondly. "She must have learned it from us. We always thought chores were more fun when we did them _together._"

Tony grinned. He finished drying the glass bowl and set it on the table. And then returned back to his post, sink side. Next, came a platter. He took it from her, and began drying it as well.

"So, tell me," Marilynn said, as they continued with her washing and him drying. "How is H.A. coping with everything that's happened?"

Tony shrugged. "He's alright, I guess," he said quietly. He flicked his eyes back out the window to the barn in thought and then back to her. "You probably noticed he's looking a little worn down. What with the dark circles under his eyes, and the pale skin and all."

"You _both _are looking a little worn down," she replied. "It's been so hard for you two, I'm sure. I know I think about my girls every day. I can't imagine what you're going through, dear. How _are _you getting along these days, darlin'?"

"Oh, you know," Tony said, shrugging again. "As best as can be expected, I suppose. Just like before, I have my good days, and I have my bad days. And by bad, I mean I start to think I'm losing my mind," he admitted.

"Oh, I know what you mean," Marilynn replied. "When Ginny's daddy died, I thought I'd _never _get back to my old self again. What do you do when someone has been in your life for so long? And then, poof! Just like that, they are up and gone one day?"

Tony nodded, understanding perfectly well what Marilynn was saying. He stayed quiet for several moments, pensive as he carefully dried the dishes Marilynn handed him. Finally, he spoke. "Can...can I ask you something?" he said cautiously.

Marilynn stopped to look at him. "Of course. Anything. You know that," she assured him.

Tony pursed his lips in thought for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. "When...Pepper's dad died, and you were still in the grieving process. Did you ever..." he said, struggling to word his question in a way that didn't make him sound like he was crazy.

Marilynn waited patiently for a moment, but then leaned toward him. "Did I ever _what, _dear?" she urged.

Tony chuckled softly, and shook his head. "I don't know how to word this without making myself sound crazy," he said. He took a deep breath, and then proceeded. "But, did...did he ever..._appear _to you?" he murmured with caution, watching her carefully.

Marilynn's stopped what she was doing, and turned to him, her eyes narrowed, trying to understand his meaning. "How so?" she asked softly.

Tony set down his towel on the counter, and turned to lean his back against it, bracing his upper body with the heels of his palms resting on the edge. "You remember me telling you about how Ginny hit her head on the deck of my friend's pool not long before she went into the hospital, don't you?" he asked.

"Of _course,_" she replied. "You said that's what triggered the bleeding in her brain."

"Right," Tony said. He lowered his voice, trying to protect against the possibility of H.A coming back inside and hearing what he was saying, as he'd never told H.A about any of what he was about to tell Marilynn. "That night after the accident, when we got home, and the kids went to bed?" he began. "I decided to go for a walk on the beach. You know, to clear my head? And as I was walking, I saw a figure, in white light, coming toward me. So I stopped, and watched as it moved closer. _Marilynn,_" he said. He looked intently into his mother-in-law's eyes. "The figure? It was _Pepper."_

Marilynn shook her head, and frowned. "How could that be, Tony? You must have been tired, or...or stressed out, or..." she stammered, struggling to find an explanation. "You probably _thought_ you saw her, but it was just a figment of your imagination! It can happen when you've lost someone so close to you! You want so much to believe they're still here!" she reasoned."_Believe_ me! There was a time when I thought I saw Cal standing on every busy street corner, or passing by me at the grocery store, or..."

Tony shook his head. "No. No, it wasn't just some hallucination, or wishful thinking, Marilynn. She _came_ to me. She _talked _to me. She even..." Tony said, his voice breaking. "She even _touched _me," he whispered, his eyes pleading for her to believe him.

"She _talked _to you?" Marilynn said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What on _earth_ did she say?"

"She said 'save me', " he said. Marilynn looked at him with confusion. "I know. I know!" he said, chuckling at the idea of how bizarre he must have sounded to her. "What could that possibly mean, right?!" he exclaimed.

"And you said she touched you?" she asked.

Tony nodded. "As if she were alive and well, and standing right in front of me_,_" he said. "She put her arms around me, and I could feel her..."

"No," Marilynn said, interrupting him. "This can't be real. It had to have been some kind of vivid dream, or...or..."

"I thought the same thing," he assured her. "Because as quickly as she came to me, she left again. Disappearing into thin air. And the next thing I knew, it was morning, and I woke up on the beach, right where I'd stopped the night before. So of _course, _I thought I'd some how fallen asleep out there, and it was all just a dream," he said. He searched her eyes for a moment. "_But..._" he said.

"But?" Marilynn parroted.

"It's happened _twice _since then," he said, his face void of any humor.

"Twice?" Marilynn said.

Tony nodded. "The second time, I was on the couch in the living room, keeping Ginny company while she rested. And that time Pepper appeared in front of me, in the same white light." He swallowed hard, bracing himself to reveal the most poignant detail of that meeting. "And _pregnant," _he said.

Marilynn gasped. "Good _Lord,_" she said, bringing a hand to cover her mouth.

A saddened smile crossed Tony's lips. "My _God, _she..." he said, shaking his head, his eyes beginning to water with sorrowful tears. "She looked..._so _beautiful," he whispered.

"Oh, _honey_!" Marilynn whispered, her eyes sympathetic. "I can't imagine what that was like for you to see," she said, gently squeezing his shoulder to comfort him.

"Oh, I didn't just _see _that she was," he explained. "I could actually put my _hands,_" he said, holding them up to his sides. "On her belly. It felt _real. _And it felt _amazing," _he admitted, unable to help his smile through his tears.

Marilynn's eyes now began to tear up, and she swiped at them sheepishly. She was speechless for a time, trying to comprehend what she was being told. "Tony," she said. "Do you think she was..." she said, stopping abruptly. "No, no, I can't ask that," she scolded herself.

"What?" Tony said.

Marilynn studied his face for a moment before she proceeded. "Well, I was just going to ask you if... and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but..."

"Marilynn, what is it?" he asked.

She took a deep breath, and exhaled, beginning again. "Do you think she could have...actually _been...," _she stammered, struggling to get the words out.

"What? _Pregnant?" _Tony said, and Marilynn quickly nodded in affirmation. Tony shrugged. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that," he said glumly. "I know Pepper would have told me if she knew she was. But there's always the possibility that maybe..." he said, stopping for a moment, knowing the next part would be hard for her to hear. "Maybe _she _didn't even know," he finished.

Marilynn, gasped, and then pursed her lips tightly. She brought a fist up to cover her mouth, and began shaking her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and Tony saw new tears escape and roll down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about this any more. I know. It's tough," he said, feeling guilty for making her cry.

She pulled back to look at him, smiling sheepishly, as she swiped at the tears on her cheeks. "Oh, look at me! Carrying on like I am!" she said. Tony smiled in understanding. "You know we can't do this to ourselves, honey. What's done is done. And if she _was _expecting before she died, then that's all the more company she'll have in heaven," she said, resolutely.

"You believe that?" Tony asked, smiling at her fondly.

"I _have _to," Marilynn replied. "It's the only way to make peace with all of this tragedy. We may have lost our girls, darlin'. But wherever they _are_, at least I can imagine that they're _together_. "

Tony smiled and nodded, as two new tears escaped and rolled down each of his cheeks. He swiped at them, just in time to see H.A come back through the front door. Tony stepped back, and cleared his throat. Marilynn patted him on the shoulder as H.A appeared in the kitchen, looking at them curiously. Tony figured he must have noticed their tear stained faces, and reddened eyes.

"Hey, buddy," he said, trying to sound upbeat to redirect his son's attention. "How're the horses?"

"Fine, I guess," H.A said, shrugging. "You guys okay?"

"We're _wonderful, _sugar," Marilynn said to her grandson, smiling. "Did you give them their oats while you were out there?"

H.A nodded. "Yeah," he said to her. He flicked his eyes to his dad's face. "I...uh...I think I'm gonna go to bed, Dad, if that's alright. I'm kinda tired."

Tony gave the okay, and bid his son a good night. He watched as H.A. disappeared upstairs.

"And as for _you," _Marilynn said, turning back to her son-in-law. "What do you say to some home-made apple pie?" she said in a sing-song voice, trying to tempt him.

Tony smiled. "With ice cream?" he asked hopefully.

"Do you even need to ask?" she teased. They chuckled, and Marilynn went to work dishing up the pie and ice cream for the both of them.

XxXxXxXxXx

Upstairs, H.A had climbed into bed. But he hadn't gone to sleep. His head was pounding. It had begun out in the barn, and increased rather quickly. So much so, that his vision had started to blur and he'd hurried back to the house before it got so bad that he wouldn't have been able to keep it concealed from his dad and his grandmother. He focused on taking deep breaths, imagining the pain drifting away a little bit more with each exhale. And this soothed him somewhat, but he'd noticed it was taking longer and longer for it to subside with each new headache, even when he'd taken something for the pain. The over-the-counter stuff wasn't even touching it anymore. So a few days before they'd left home, he'd rummaged through the bathroom medicine cabinet, and found some old prescription pain medication a doctor had once prescribed to his dad. It was a couple of years old, but he knew he had to try something stronger. So he'd been biting each pill in half, hoping that would be enough to tamp down the headache. And it had worked. The taste was awful, but he found that if he chewed it up, and put it under his tongue, the relief would come sooner, and he could actually get to sleep faster.

So, once again, he'd reached for the bottle he'd smuggled into his suitcase, and found the other half of the pill he'd taken this morning before their flight. He quickly chewed it up, and had climbed into bed with it under his tongue. Then he'd begun to breathe slowly, in and out, in and out, with his pillow over his head, focusing on the sound of his lungs filling and emptying as it echoed in his ears, until he slowly drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for all of your feedback and support! I know this one is crazy emotional, so I appreciate you putting on a brave face, and sticking with it! And I promise- I'll make all of your tears worth it! Thanks again! :D**

Marilynn and Tony took their dessert out to the front porch, and sat together on the porch swing. Tony could feel the gentle caress of the evening breeze in his hair, and the last bit of the languishing prairie sun on his cheeks. Once again, he smiled at the peacefulness of the farm, so far removed from the hustle and bustle of home. But he couldn't help but remember all of the times he and Pepper had sat together, in this very spot, enjoying the quiet, with her in his arms, watching their children play in the yard, H.A. pushing Ginny on the same tire swing that Pepper had swung on when she was a little girl. If he closed his eyes, he knew he could probably still feel her there with him now. It wouldn't be hard, he was sure.

He felt a lump form in his throat from the memory, and cleared it loudly. "Okay, Marilynn. Time for the official Tony Taste Test," he said jovially, bringing himself back to the present, as he forked a big bite of pie and put it into his mouth. Instantly, he moaned with delight. And Marilynn giggled with glee.

"Ohhhhyeahhhh!" he cried, forking another bite. "This is _awesome. _Really. You've outdone yourself."

"I'm glad you like it, darlin'," she said happily, putting a forkful from her own plate into her mouth.

They ate a few more bites in happy silence, Tony almost finishing the whole thing in record time. He gazed out to the pasture beyond the fence line in thought as he chewed. "You know," he said after a moment, swallowing the last of his pie. He turned to face his mother-in-law. "There's something I've had on my mind since the funeral that I've wanted to talk to you about."

Marilynn looked at him with a curious gaze. "And what is that, Mr. Tony?" she asked inquisitively.

He smiled briefly at her use of her nickname for him, but then frowned a little, trying to find the right words. "Well," he said. "It's about what you said when you called what happened to Pepper and Ginny the _Potts Curse. _I guess I didn't pay much attention to it when you said it at Pepper's funeral, but it just..." he sighed. "It just made me start thinking when you said it again at Ginny's, you know? You said it began with Cal..."

Marilynn nodded. "Yes," she said. "The doctors determined that he had some kind of genetic condition that had surfaced, causing weak veins, and the risk of a massive aneurysm early in life. Cal was the first to go. He was only 52 when he died, honey. His brother was next, at 47. That was young _enough, _if you ask me. But for Virginia to die even younger? And now our sweet little Ginny? If that isn't a _curse_, I don't know what is," she explained.

Tony furrowed his brow in thought, and pursed his lips. "How about Cal's father? Or grandfather? How young did _they _die?" he asked.

Marilynn pursed her lips, and thought for a moment. "You know, I don't recall their ages exactly. But, as I remember, they both lived nice long lives, well into their 80's."

Tony looked at her in surprise. "Their _80's?_" he said, astonished.

She nodded. "That's why the doctor's figured this was something that had been passed down, generation to generation, and that we just had the unlucky fortune of having to incur its wrath. Both Cal and his brother were as healthy as horses when they died. Wasn't any reason for their passing. Not that anyone could find, other than this blasted curse."

Tony stayed silent for a moment, trying to process what Marilynn was telling him. He worked his jaw and shook his head. "It doesn't make sense," he muttered. "How could they call it _genetic _if Cal was the first one in the family to experience it?"

"They told us they'd traced it back to his Great Grand Daddy," she said. "Said he'd died at 50 from no apparent cause but a sudden brain aneurysm brought on by a head injury."

Tony frowned. "And...that's _it?"_ he said skeptically. _ "_It hardly seems like that would be proof enough to call something _genetic," _he replied.

Marilynn shrugged, and shook her head. "I don't know, darlin'. I'm no doctor. And back then, there was no way to validate what they were saying. So we just believed what we were told, I guess."

Tony shifted his gaze back to the pasture, working his jaw again in thought, until he heard Marilynn speak, bringing him out of his pensiveness. He smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. What was that?" he asked her.

She smiled kindly. "I said, 'do you want some more pie?' " she asked.

Tony smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm good, thanks. It was wonderful, though," he replied. She nodded and smiled, standing to take his plate from him. He graciously handed it to her, and Marilynn left him on the porch to take the dishes inside to the kitchen. A few moments passed, and soon she returned with what looked like a photo album.

"Have you ever seen pictures of Cal's brother?" she asked, retaking her seat on the porch swing next to him.

Tony furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I'm not sure. I don't think so," he said.

"Well, Cal _was_ the more handsome of the two brothers,I have to say. But maybe I'm biased," she joked. Tony gave her a warm, understanding smile as she opened the cover of the album, and began to thumb through it. He caught glimpses of familiar photos he'd seen in the past of Pepper and her family when she was a little girl. "Hey, I know _that _face," he said fondly, stopping Marilynn to point out one of Pepper sitting on the same porch they were on now, licking an ice cream cone. She was in denim overalls, with the bottom cuffs rolled up, and had on a polka dotted shirt. Her long red pigtails stuck out on either side of her head, and Tony chuckled at the same smattering of freckles on her cheeks that he remembered her having as an adult. Her big blue eyes were looking at something to the side of her, out of the frame, but she had her tongue sticking out, licking a large and quickly-melting vanilla ice cream cone, evident by the dribbling down her chin, and the hand she was holding the cone with.

Marilynn laughed. "Oh, yes! I'd forgotten about that one!" she said. "I remember I kept telling her. 'Ginny? You've got to lick faster, or that ice cream will turn to soup!' And then she'd tell me, 'I am, I am, mama! It's fine! Stop being a pest!' " They both laughed at the memory.

"Funny, I remember her telling me the same thing _many _times," Tony replied. "Though, in her defense, I genuinely _was _being a pest." They laughed again.

"How old was she there? Eight? Nine?" Tony asked.

"Uh..._seven, _I believe," Marilynn replied.

"Oh," Tony said softly. He frowned suddenly, and he gritted his teeth to keep the sudden quiver in his chin from being noticed. "Same age as Ginny," he murmured, trying to smile through the tears threatening to well up in his eyes.

Marilynn gave him a sympathetic look. "Oh, _honey,_" she said, putting her arm around her son-in-law, and hugging him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stir up your hurt. We don't have to look at..."

Tony shook his head, and waved a hand to dismiss her words. "No, no," he assured her. "I love to look at old pictures of Pepper. It's just sometimes these things hit me, you know? Out of nowhere. And I'm powerless against them. "

"Well, the wound is still so fresh, darlin'," Marilynn reasoned. "I can understandhow badly your heart hurts."

Tony quickly swiped at a couple of tears that had escaped his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He sniffed loudly, and gave her a broken smile. "I miss them _so _much," he said.

"I know you do," Marilynn said in quiet understanding.

Tony's breath caught in his chest in a sob. "And my little girl! Why did I have to lose my little girl?" he said, his voice cracking. The tears came on like a flood now, and his shoulders shook as he put his face in his hands. Marilynn just stayed silent, rubbing his back to comfort him.

"You take all the time you need," she assured him. "This kind of pain doesn't fight fair, does it?"

After a moment, Tony brought his eyes up, and took a deep breath, looking out to the distance in front of them. "No," he said. He swiped at more tears, and shook his head. "No, it _doesn't." _He took another long moment to steady himself, and then spoke again. "You know, I never thought I could be a good dad to a little girl. When Pepper was pregnant with her? And we found out we were having a girl? I went into panic mode for a few days," he said. Marilynn smiled at him warmly, and Tony smiled back. "But you know what? She was my _princess_, Marilynn. All I wanted to do was keep her safe from the world, and make sure she was well taken care of." His smile quickly faded, and his chin began to quiver once more. "Turns out in the end, though, I couldn't save her. I couldn't..." he said, his voice choking off with the onslaught of new tears. He gritted his teeth again, and his breath caught in his chest as he brought his fist to his mouth, trying to stifle the display of emotion.

"Tony, you can't blame yourself for what happened. It was beyond your control," Marilynn explained. "It's just God-awful that you had to lose two people you loved so close together because of it. But you know what? I bet Virginia couldn't be prouder of the daddy you turned out to be. Just look at how H.A. is coming along! He's such a wonderful young man. And we have _you _to thank for it."

Tony smiled bashfully and flicked his eyes to her. He nodded. "He's pretty great. I'll admit that," he said.

Marilynn smiled lovingly. "You're _darn right _he is," she said. "Just like his papa."

They smiled at each other, and Tony patted Marilynn's hand that was resting on his shoulder. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "I needed that."

"I _know,_" she said. And they chuckled.

Tony sniffed loudly, and wiped away his last remaining tears. He pointed at the photo album still resting on Marilynn's lap. "You, uh...wanted to show me Pepper's uncle?" he said.

"Oh! Yes!" Marilynn said, quickly thumbing to the right page. "_Here,_" she said, finding a photo of Cal and his brother standing on the shore of some lake somewhere. She held the album up for Tony to take. He took it from her, and examined the photo.

"Boy, they bare a strong resemblance, don't they?" he said. Both men were very tall and husky. They had dark auburn hair, and big blue eyes. Tony smiled to himself at the similarity between the brother's eyes, and his late wife's. He flicked his eyes from the photo to Marilynn and back again. "You know, I always thought Pepper got her eyes from _you," _he said. "But Cal's eyes look an awful lot like Pepper's, too, don't they?"

"That was always a debate in our household. But Cal and I finally settled on her having _his _eye _shape, _but _my _eye _color,_" she explained, chuckling. "And for my _other _daughter, it was the opposite. You know. Just to make it fair," she joked.

Tony smiled, but then furrowed his brow. "Your other daughter. Elizabeth, right?" Tony asked, remembering that Pepper had mentioned her in passing a few times, but they had long ago become estranged.

Marilynn nodded. "Yes," she said, regretfully. "No one knows where she is now, I'm afraid."

Tony stayed quiet for a moment, weighing whether or not he wanted to ask the question that had popped into his mind. "Do, uh..do you ever wonder if...if _she's..." _he stammered.

"What? Going to die young? All the _time, _honey. But with her it would probably be for a whole other set of reasons. I'm sorry to say she messed her life up with drugs something fierce. So, if she's not dead by now, at the rate she was going when she left, it won't take long."

Tony frowned. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Marilynn shrugged, and smiled wistfully. "What can you do but hope that by God's grace, she finds her way back. However, I long ago accepted that no one can decide to do that but her. _So_, " she said, patting his knee. "I've made my peace with it."

Tony looked at her with admiration for a long moment. "You're a strong lady, Mama Potts," he said finally, giving her shoulder a playful nudge with his own, and smiling. She smiled back at him.

"Well, honey? All I can say is life is _messy_," she said. "It's complicated sometimes, and simple at others. It's sunshine one day, and pouring rain the next. The sooner you stop expecting it to be all one way and not the other, and just embrace the messiness, the better off you are, I say."

"Good advice," Tony said thoughtfully.

"Mmmm hmmm," Marilynn replied with a soft smile. Then they both fell silent in their thoughts, casting their glances out to the horses eating in the pasture, their tails lazily switching back and forth, with everything cast in the soft pinkish glow of the waning daylight.


	17. Chapter 17

**Been a while on this one, huh? Many apologies. But just know, your support and patience is so appreciated. I hope you enjoy this.**

_Tony turned the bottle of chocolate syrup upside down over the top of his daughter's glass of milk, and squirted a hefty amount into it. She watched him do this with an eager smile, and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, smiling to himself in amusement at her. _

_They were seated together at Marilynn's kitchen table, after an adventurous day spent on the farm. She'd taken the children for a ride on the horses, to feed the cows, to tend the garden, all of which they enjoyed thoroughly. And then they ended the afternoon playing in the front yard on the tire swing as the adults visited on the front porch – with Marilynn sitting in her rocking chair, and Tony and Pepper lazily swinging back and forth on the bench swing. Tony had laid his head in Pepper's lap, and she was gently stroking his hair as a soft breeze blew to cool down the late afternoon heat. They chit-chatted for a while, as the sound of the children's happy laughter drifted over the air. In a word, it was bliss._

_Later on, Marilynn had had errands to run in town, and Pepper had decided to go take a quick nap before dinner, leaving Tony, H.A., and Ginny to themselves until Marilynn returned. H.A wanted to spend some more time out in the barn with the horses- he'd always had an affinity for the animals- so Tony bid him goodbye, warning him to stay out of trouble, and he and Ginny treated themselves to a hearty helping of chocolate milk to round out the afternoon. _

"_Think that's enough?" Tony asked his daughter, as he righted the bottle of syrup. She nodded. _

"_It's more than mommy uses," she stated. _

_Tony chuckled. "So it's enough, then? Ah, maybe just a little more," he teased, giving her glass another quick squirt. The little girl giggled. _

"_Okay. That's plenty, Daddy," Ginny told him. _

"_Okay," Tony said, picking up a spoon to stir the mixture. _

_Ginny laid her head on her arms as she eagerly watched the syrup slowly mix with the milk, turning a rich, dark brown. _

"_There," Tony said, setting the spoon down. "Oop! One more thing! I almost forgot!" he said, jumping up from out of his seat to go to the walk-in pantry. _

_Ginny frowned and turned to watch her father as he disappeared, and soon reappeared carrying a bendy straw. "A kid can't have chocolate milk without one of these," he stated. "I think it's a law, or something." _

_Ginny giggled and Tony grinned, slipping the straw into her glass, and then taking his seat beside his daughter again. He proceeded to mix his own glass of chocolate milk, and Ginny patiently waited for him before she took a sip of her own. _

_Once he was done, he raised his glass. Ginny raised hers, and they clinked them together. "There we go. Cheers, baby," he said._

"_Cheers, Daddy," Ginny said, grinning, and they each took a big swig of milk, Tony downing half the glass in one gulp, and Ginny taking a long pull from her straw. Then she set her glass down, and began to blow bubbles with her straw._

_Tony pretended to be startled at the noise, and Ginny giggled. "What on earth was that?!" he exclaimed, with a knowing smirk and wide eyes. _

_Ginny laughed out loud. "It was THIS!" she explained, pointing to her straw. _

"_It was what?" Tony asked, leaning in to examine the glass and the straw, and feigning confusion. _

"_It was the STRAW, Daddy! I blew bubbles! See? Watch!" she cried, taking the straw into her mouth again to demonstrate. _

_He watched intently as she blew more bubbles in her glass, and then he gasped again. Ginny giggled sweetly, covering her mouth with her hands at how funny it was that her dad was amazed by her trick. _

_Tony chuckled, and grinned in adoration at his daughter's face, her bright blue eyes a mirror-image of Pepper's, and never failing to melt his heart, just like Pepper's eyes always had. _

_He leaned over to plant a tender kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, baby," he said. _

"_I love you, too, Daddy," Ginny said, before drinking some more of her milk. _

_Tony rested his elbows on the table, and picked up his glass, taking another big gulp to finish it off. He smacked his lips, and examined the inside of the glass before setting it back down, and scrubbing a hand over his mouth to remove any remnants of a milk mustache from his upper lip. Then he stretched out his legs under the table, crossing his ankles and folding his arms, content to just sit there next to his little girl as she finished, too. He found he always liked having these little moments alone with each of his children. And looking down at her, being so small, and sitting in such a big chair, he wanted to make sure he remembered this moment for a long time to come._

"_So. Tell me," he said finally, as he gazed at his daughter. She was in deep concentration, watching the level of milk in her glass lower with each big sip from her straw. "Today was pretty great, huh?" _

_Ginny gulped and nodded, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye briefly before turning them back to her glass. _

"_What was your favorite part?" he asked her. _

_Ginny let go of the straw, and furrowed her brow in thought. "Ummm," she said, as she pondered it. "Riding the horses," she said finally. _

"_Yeah?" Tony said. "You liked that, huh?" _

_Ginny nodded. "Molly's nice," she said. _

"_Yeah, Molly is nice," Tony agreed, speaking of Marilynn's old mare quarter horse, who couldn't be a more gentle creature. _

"_I like feeding her oats," Ginny said. "Her teeth are big." _

_Tony smiled. "They are," he said, nodding. "And that's kind of like her treat. Kind of like how you get to have chocolate milk," he told her. _

"_Grandma said it was a reward for being such a good pony," Ginny replied. _

"_Yep. And you get chocolate milk for being such a good girl," he told her. _

_Ginny smiled proudly. "You think I'm a good girl?" she asked, trying to sound innocent, but clearly not wanting Tony's praise of her to stop. _

_He chuckled, and nodded. "Of course, I do. You know that," he said. _

_Ginny's eyebrows raised, and she gasped. "Then, can I have a baby sister?" she suddenly asked, her voice very hopeful. "Oh, please, Daddy! Can I? Please?"_

_Tony spluttered, taken a back by her very random request. "Uh...okay, I thought most kids asked for things like a new toy, or a puppy or..." _

"_Mommy told me she thought it was a good idea," Ginny said, trying to plead her case. _

"_Oh, she did, huh?" Tony said, smirking at her. _

_The little girl nodded emphatically. "She said she thought it would be nice if I had somebody to play with. Somebody who's not H.A," she explained. _

"_Uh-huh," Tony said, nodding slowly in thought. "But, honey, you're a big girl. And if we did have a new baby, there would be several years difference between the two of you. Are you sure you'd want to play with somebody so much younger than you?" _

_Ginny brightened. "I would love to play with a baby!" she cried. "Are you serious?" _

_Tony laughed at her impetuousness. "Honey, babies aren't dolls. I think you're thinking it would be like..."_

"_No, I wouldn't! I promise! I would help feed her! And change her diaper! I'd give her a bath! I would be a big helper! You'd see!" she pleaded, interrupting him._

_They stared at each other for a moment, and then Tony sat forward. "Okay, answer me this, then," he said. "What if the new baby was a boy? What would you do then?" _

_Ginny made a face. "Bleck. No boys. Just girls," she replied. She finished the last of her milk, and attempted to blow bubbles in what was left in the bottom of the glass. But she wasn't succeeding, so she frowned and sat back in her chair. _

"_Well, what we'd get is what we'd get, I'm afraid," Tony explained regretfully. "If we did have another baby, it very well could be a boy. That's the chance you take, honey." _

_Ginny frowned, and crossed her arms. "Okay, never mind, then," she said softly, in defeat. "I just want a baby sister, that's all. I'm tired of being the baby." _

"_Okay, I see," Tony said nodding in understanding. "But you know what? You're not a baby. You're just the youngest. There's a big difference." _

_Ginny shrugged. "I guess," she said reluctantly. "I'm just tired of being too little to do stuff." _

"_But that'll pass, I promise. Every day you get bigger and bigger," he told her, putting his arm over the back of her chair, and looking back down at her. "I can't believe how big you already are, actually," he said, his voice a bit forlorn._

_Ginny looked up at him, and Tony smiled lovingly at her in return. _

_For a moment, they were both quiet. Then Ginny climbed up on her knees on her chair to face her father, and threw her arms around his neck. _

_Tony smiled in surprise, and wrapped his arms tightly around her middle. "What's this for?" he asked her. _

_Ginny pulled back, and gently kissed his cheek before peering into his eyes. "You're a good daddy," she said. _

_Tony smiled. "Thank you, baby. Oop! I mean, big girl," he said, correcting himself. They both chuckled. _

_Then, Ginny suddenly yawned. "I'm tired," she said._

"_I think I know the solution to that," Tony said. He scooted his chair back, and took her into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Ginny laid her head on his shoulder as he carried her out of the kitchen and up the stairs toward the bedrooms. Once he reached the room she was staying in, he walked in to lay her on the bed. Ginny climbed under the covers, and he tucked her in. _

"_Thanks for the chocolate milk break, daddy," she said sleepily. _

"_You bet, honey," he said, lovingly stroking her hair. He planted a soft kiss on her temple, and Ginny closed her eyes. "Sleep tight, little sprite. I'll wake you up when dinner's ready, huh?" he told her softly._

_Ginny nodded, and Tony left the room, quietly closing the door behind him. Then he went down the hall to where Pepper was napping, and eased himself on to the bed to lay down beside her. She moaned happily as he spooned against her, and she snuggled into his arms. _

"_Where are the kids?" she asked sleepily. _

"_H.A's in the barn. Ginny's taking a nap, and your mother's gone into town to run errands," Tony told her._

_Pepper rolled to look over her shoulder at him. "Really," she said mischievously. _

_Tony smirked mischievously back. "Yep," he said, nodding knowingly. "Why? Is there something you have on your mind, Mrs. Stark? A way we could pass the time, perhaps?" he asked, smirking, and waggling his eyebrows flirtatiously at her. _

_Pepper chuckled, and rolled over the rest of the way. "I'm sure I could come up with...SOMETHING we could do," she replied, her voice suddenly smokey. She toyed with the front of his t-shirt, and Tony moaned in approval, as he bent to kiss her lips. _

"_You know, your daughter just informed me you think she should have a little sister to play with," he said playfully, when the kiss broke. _

_Pepper chuckled. "Oh, she's working you on that, too, huh?" she said, knowingly. "Funny, she told me the same thing about you the other day." _

_Tony chuckled, too. "Oh, really," he said. _

_Pepper smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir. But no boys, though. She's staunchly against having another brother," she said, matter-of-fact, and then smiled._

"_Yeah, she mentioned that to me, as well," Tony replied._

_They both laughed this time, and Tony bent down to kiss her lips again. "Well, maybe we should just show her, and you let me knock you up again, hmmm?" he joked. _

_Pepper giggled. "Yes, that's the reason to have another baby," she teased back. "Perfectly rational."_

_Tony shrugged. "I see no issue with this, and everybody wins," he argued. _

_Pepper scoffed. "Easy for you to say! You don't have to wake up puking every morning, or get fat, or have swollen feet, or..." she began._

"_Eat everything in sight, or cry all the time. And the gas! God! Don't get me started on the all of the..." Tony interjected, but Pepper made a face in disgust, and held up a hand to halt him._

"_Please. Don't remind me!" she said. "And I think just for those reasons alone, we should quit while we're ahead," she said. _

_Tony worked his jaw, and then reached down to grasp one of her hands in his, interlacing their fingers. "Yeah, but there was never a time when you were more gorgeous. Hormonal outbursts and flatulence, aside. I...'" he admitted with a smirk. Pepper chuckled. Then he paused to consider his words before he spoke again. "I...loved you being pregnant," he said finally, and gave her a bashful smile._

_Pepper smiled back at him in adoration. "So did I, if I'm being honest," she said fondly._

_Tony looked at her curiously. "Yeah?" he asked hopefully._

_Pepper nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "And there's nothing like that 'new baby', smell, anyway. I have to admit I do sometimes miss the kids being so little."_

"_Yeah, me, too, actually," Tony admitted. "So...should we maybe...think about...possibly...at least stopping the...prevention of any future..."_

_Pepper chuckled at his stammering. "Let's...think about it," she said resolutely. "Fair enough?" _

_Tony nodded in agreement. "Fair enough, Potts. Here's to maybe, possibly, considering, in the future..." he said. He paused, looking deeply into his wife's eyes. He exhaled slowly. "Making another baby," he finished with a sweet smile. _

_Pepper smiled lovingly in reply. "Hear, hear," she said softly in agreement before raising her head to kiss him tenderly. _

_Tony furthered the kiss, moving to hold his wife in his arms as they spent the next hour, quietly, tenderly, making love, before the house once again sprang back to life, and the bustle of making dinner and enjoying the evening as a family took precedent. _

Tony had been standing at the kitchen window, looking out onto the dew-covered pasture that next morning, with a coffee cup in hand, when this moment had suddenly come to mind. He'd recalled the conversation with Ginny, just before she'd died, about whether or not he and Pepper had thought about having any more children. He remembered he'd answered that they hadn't really talked about it. But, for whatever reason, this memory resurfaced, and he'd regretted telling her this now. He knew it was inconsequential, but a small part of him felt guilty for telling her anything different than the truth. _Stop it. Don't do this to yourself, _he told his subconscious. And he refocused his attention on the pasture outside to bring his mind back to the present.

"Mornin', darlin'," he heard Marilynn chime as she entered the kitchen. "Coffee's on and strong, I see," she noticed, grabbing herself a cup from one of the hooks on the underside of the cabinet above the coffee maker.

"That it _is,_" Tony replied, grateful for the timing of her entrance, serving as a perfect distraction from his previous reverie.

"Let me fix you some bacon and eggs, hmmm?" she offered.

Tony turned around to look at her, with an eager grin. "Oh, you _know _I won't turn down an opportunity to eat _bacon,_" he teased.

Marilynn chuckled. "Some how I guessed it," she replied, moving to retrieve a frying pan from a cupboard. "Where's the younger of you two hooligans?" she jokingly asked, while she searched.

Tony smiled at her teasing him, and nodded toward the stairs. "Sleeping, still, I imagine. That kid could sleep all _day _if you let him," he said.

"Ah, he's getting to that age, I'm afraid," she said, igniting the gas burner, and turning to the refrigerator to retrieve the bacon. "I remember when the girls were in the...oh, what do they call it these days... the _'tween' _years?" she asked. She waved a hand in dismissal. "All I know is, you would have thought I was raising a team of weight-lifters. Eat, eat, eat, sleep, sleep, sleep. _Constantly _buying shoes, pants. 'Mom, I can't wear those clothes we got last month. They're too small'. Oh!" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "It was all we could do to keep up with how fast they were growing! You watch, Mister! That boy of yours will give you a run for your money. Mark my words," she warned.

Tony chuckled. "He already _is,_" he replied. "But in other ways, too. Like, he's just so..._independent. _You know? Sometimes it's hard to take. It doesn't seem like he's old enough to even _want _to be that independent. Let alone be allowed to be. But what do you do? I can't exactly _stop _it. And I wouldn't want to anyway, I guess."

"No, you wouldn't," Marilynn agreed.

Tony gave her a smirk. "Plus, he's a _Stark_. So, he was doomed from the start," he joked.

Marilynn laughed, but they were soon interrupted by the sound of a loud door slam. "What the..." Tony said. They both looked at each other, and then Tony hurriedly set his coffee cup down on the table, and they both ran upstairs.

The door to H.A's room was wide open, and the bed was empty, but noises of H.A upchucking in the bathroom could be heard from behind the bathroom door.

Tony bolted to it, and tried to open it, but H.A. had locked himself inside. Tony rapped on it loudly. "H.A? What's going on? Why did you lock the door?" he asked frantically.

"I'm _fine, _dad. Go away, I'm just..." but H.A's words were interrupted by another bout of heaving into the toilet.

"Damn it! Open this door!" Tony barked.

"I'm _fine, _dad!" H.A barked back.

Marilynn interceded. "Let me talk to him, honey," she offered. Tony surrendered, and stepped out of the way as she knocked softly on the door. "Darlin'? Look in the medicine cabinet. There is something in there to help settle your stomach. A nice swig of that will do wonders. I promise," she told her grandson.

A moment went by, and they heard the toilet flush, and the faucet turn on. "The pink stuff?" they heard H.A ask, his voice muffled from behind the door.

They both looked at each in relief. "Yes, darlin'. The pink stuff," she answered, with a smile.

They waited for a moment longer, and then saw the door knob jiggle. H.A appeared, his face pale and damp with sweat. He looked exhausted. "Thanks, Grandma. That's better," he said, wearily.

"Hey, buddy," Tony said. He felt his son's forehead. The boy was definitely feverish, he determined. "What's this about?" he asked.

H.A shrugged weakly. "I woke up feeling sick to my stomach," he answered.

Tony rested his hands on his son's shoulders and looked into his eyes. They were red rimmed, blood shot, and the pupils were dilated. Not to mention, the dark circles that were hard to miss beneath them. Tony frowned. "You _sure _that's all that's going on?" he asked cautiously.

H.A sighed in exasperation. "Dad, I _told _you," he said. "I'm fine. I just have a bug or something."

The boy pushed past his dad, and trudged back down the hall. He practically fell into bed, and pulled the covers up around his head.

Tony and Marilynn followed him into the room, and Tony pulled the covers back from H.A's face. "Hold up. Let me look at you," he said.

H.A glowered at his father. "Dad, come _on! _I just wanna sleep," he begged.

"Tony," he heard Marilynn cautiously say behind him, and his insides froze instantly from the tone of her voice.

He slowly turned around to face her, and saw she was holding a, small, orange prescription bottle. "I found _this _sticking out of his suitcase just now," she explained.

She held it out to him, and he took it from her, quickly reading the label, and then his eyes darting to his son, wide in alarm. "Percocet?! What the hell are you doing with _this, _H.A?! Where the hell did you get this?"

H.A had sat up as soon as his grandmother had discovered the bottle. "Dad, I..." he stammered.

"Are you hooked on this stuff?! Is _that _why you're sick?!" Tony demanded.

H.A just looked at him, speechlessly.

Tony huffed, his nostrils flaring, and his jaw set. "Boy, you'd _better _start talking, or I'm gonna..." he seethed.

"It's for my head, alright?!" H.A blurted out in defense. "It's the headaches, Dad! Now, I've got 'em, too," he confessed, his voice faltering as the emotion of the moment broke his resolve. He swiped bitterly at the tears suddenly forming in his eyes.

Tony was instantly taken aback, and shook his head in denial. "_No,_" he gasped, as the shock of H.A words knocked the breath out of him.

Marilynn clapped a hand to her chest, and squeezed her eyes shut. "No, Lord. _Please! _Not another one!" she begged the heavens.

H.A went on. "I found them in the medicine cabinet at home. I tried taking the normal stuff. Honest! But it doesn't work! Not anymore! I just..."

Tony, didn't let him finish. He briskly pulled his son to him, wrapping him in his arms protectively, and trying to keep his composure. "_Why _didn't you tell me?" he asked softly.

H.A pulled back to look at his father, his cheeks now stained with tears. "I'm _sorry, _Dad! But I just couldn't do it! I didn't want you to worry! We've already been through enough!" he explained.

Tony put his hands on the boy's shoulders. "H.A, you should have _told _me! How long has this been going on?" he asked.

H.A hesitated.

"Answer me," his father pleaded in desperation.

"Since...a few weeks after Ginny's funeral," H.A revealed reluctantly.

"Oh, Good Lord!" Marilynn gasped in horror.

Tony stared into his son's eyes, working his jaw as he tried to process what was happening.

"Dad, I'm _scared_," H.A murmured.

Tony took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. He hugged his son tightly again. "It'll be okay, buddy. I promise. I'm not going to lose you, okay?" he assured him.

"I don't want to die, Dad! I don't!" H.A begged desperately, his words muffled in his dad's embrace.

Tony tried to put on a brave smile. He shook his head, and pulled back to cup his son's cheek. "And you won't. Okay?" he said, looking deep into his H.A's eyes. "For now, just get some rest, and we'll get through this. I _promise._"

H.A studied his dad's face for a moment for reassurance, and then relented and nodded weakly. He laid back down, and Tony covered him with the blankets. He lovingly tossled his son's hair, and H.A gave him a weak smile. "I love you, buddy. We'll figure this out. I swear," he whispered. H.A just nodded, and soon dozed off.

Then Tony turned around to face Marilynn, who's eyes were glassy with tears. "Uh, can I talk to you in the hall for a second?" he said, trying to sound brave though his voice was trembling.

Marilynn nodded in agreement, and they left the room. Tony closed the door behind them, and she instantly flung her arms around his neck, and began to sob against his shoulder. Tony lost his composure, and squeezed his eyes shut as he embraced his mother-in-law. But hot tears escaped from beneath his eye lids and trickled down his cheeks.

"Oh, honey! _What, _in heaven's _name_, are we gonna do?" Marilynn asked hopelessly.

Tony pulled back to look at her. "I..._might _have an idea," he began. "It's a long shot. But it's the only shot we've got."

Marilynn remained silent, but searched his face for answers.

"Before we came here, I stumbled across something about an experiment my father was working on with another scientist. It was about time-travel," he began. "But the notes are incomplete. So there's no real way to know how far they got for sure."

Marilynn looked at him quizically. She shook her head. "_Time _travel?!" she asked.

Tony nodded. "I _know _my dad must have thought there was something to this. Otherwise, he never would have given it a second glance," he assured.

Marilynn frowned. "But how does this help _us?_" she asked.

Tony went on. "After our conversation last night, about how both Cal _and _his brother mysteriously died young, I couldn't shake the fact that the doctor's blamed some kind of genetic defect on it, but never really _proved_ it. And I say it's time we find some real answers as to why people in our family keep..." but, he quickly halted his words, suddenly aware he was probably still within earshot range of H.A, and didn't want him to overhear their conversation.

He lead Marilynn a few more steps away, and lowered his voice. "I'm sure you understand, I have to do everything in my power," he said. "If I _can _finish the experiment, and manage to go back to before Cal and his brother died, I can try to find a way to stop this thing before it ever started. I can _save_ them, Marilynn. _And _Pepper. _And _Ginny, and..." Tony flicked his eyes to the door of H.A.'s room, and swallowed hard.

Marilynn nodded emphatically in agreement. "Of course I understand, honey! But where in the world are you going to start in all of this? Trying to finish the experiment could..." She hesitated, glancing from Tony's gaze to H.A's door and back again. "I hate to say it, but you _may _not have that kind of time, darlin'," she said regretfully.

Tony nodded. "That's _precisely _why I'm trying to track down the man my dad was working with. I'm hoping upon hope he's still _alive, _and has any information about how far they actually got. Any input I can glean from him could shave a lot off of the learning curve."

Just then, Tony's phone rang in his pocket. He jerked it free, and saw it was JARVIS. He looked at it wide-eyed for a moment, wondering if _this _is what he'd been waiting on. Nervously, he answered. "Yeah, J, what's up?" he said anxiously.

"Sir, I believe I have a viable lead on Dr. Guierre," he explained. "I've discovered he's been living in Montreaux, Switzerland, under the name Sven Mueller since around the time of your parents' death."

Tony closed his eyes, and smiled gratefully. Marilynn gave him an expectant look. "Thanks, J! I knew I could count on you." He hung up, and grinned, closing his eyes in a moment of gratitude to the heavens before opening them again to look at his mother-in-law. "Looks like the mission to save my family has officially begun," he said hopefully.

Marilynn sighed heavily in relief. "You've found him," she said, with a grateful smile.

Tony nodded triumphantly. "We found him," he replied.


End file.
